Agewell Foundation, India

1
Agewell Foundation, India

• Being able to live life longer is a great gift to
  humanity
• it is up to us to ensure that we can all age with
  self- respect and dignity.

2
Global Facts

• Projections of United Nations
• The number of persons aged 60 years or older will
  grow from an estimated 629 million in 2002 to
  almost 2 billion in 2050.
• Older persons will take over the population of
  children, marking an unprecedented event in human
  history

3
The Concern

• The national or even the international community
  has done little to safeguard older persons needs
  and potentials in the rising world economy
• Particularly in our country, which experiences a
  most rapid growth in the aging populations.

4
The Guideline

• Our societies should by no means perceive older
  persons as a burden.
• On the contrary, older persons contribute greatly
  at the socio-economic level, often without
  recognition or reimbursement.
• In the HIV/AIDS crisis, for example, older
  persons often act as the sole caretakers for
  their grandchildren and also for other children
  in the community, taking on a huge financial and
  emotional burden.

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The Guideline

• Their work, however, has not yet received the
  required recognition from national or
  international relief efforts.
• Older persons also contribute to society in ways
  that cannot be compensated.
• Older persons are key to cultural identity
• they strive to keep families together,
• pass on expertise and values and
• bestow our cultural heritage.

6
The Questions Unanswered

• When a society ages, how will it meet the
  financial needs of its elderly?
• Will the elderly be dependent -
• on their own accumulated savings,
• on the support of individual family members,
• on the general taxpayer or
• on payroll contributions from the workforce
  through government social insurance schemes (as
  in the industrial countries)?
• Or will they be forced to work longer?
• How will the needs of the very elderly be met,
  since they frequently require either long-term
  care or substantial medical or social support?

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The Suggestion

• A strategic Plan for the Elderly in India
• The Key Points -
• Older Persons and Development,
• Advancing Health and Wellbeing into Old Age,
• Enabling and Supportive environments
• In addition address its inadequacies by
  instituting strong oversight mechanisms and
  provisions for financial assistance.
• In particular, a plan should spell out measures
  to secure income for older persons, to help lift
  elderly out of poverty.
• A plan should also prioritize older persons
  access to appropriate and affordable health care.

8
The Source

• The implementation is entirely reliant on a
  governments political will and financial and
  structural capacity to put it into action.
• The social sector organisations are the platforms
  for sensetising the communities at large
• Today India has the required strength

9
Agewell Foundation - Goals

• Agewell is set up to infuse better interaction
  between the generations. It endeavors to
• Bring awareness towards self, with a positive
  change in perceptions about Old Age
• Initiate steps towards senior citizens friendly
  environment
• Evolve a sense of moral and social responsibility
  towards senior citizens
• Advocate for the needs and rights of senior
  citizens
• Extend a helping hand to senior citizens wherever
  required

10
Agewell Volunteers Presence In India (Aadhar)

• 35 States Union Territories of India
• 540 Districts Across India
• 6,300 Dedicated Volunteers
• 4.8 Million Senior Citizens
• 4,924 Self-help Groups
• 3,52,011 Senior Citizens members of Self-help
  Groups

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Senior Citizens - Priority Areas

• Social Participation Empowerment
• Health And Well-being
• Legal Security
• Finance Empowerment
• Financial security
• Financial sustenance
• Financial participation in the society

12
Current Activities

• Helpline Redressal Services
• Agewell Helpline for senior citizens in Delhi
• Agewell Helpline for senior citizens in Ahmedabad
• Voluntary Activities
• Aadhar Nationwide Voluntary Action Network
• Employment Job Opportunities
• Eklavya Agewell Employment Exchange for
  senior citizens

13
Current Activities

• Special Services
• Sahyog Psychological Trauma Centre
• Social Activities
• Share a Smile with Your Elders School Contact
  Program
• Agewell Family Membership Scheme
• Research Activities
• Agewell Centre for Research Advocacy for Needs
  Rights of senior citizens

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Research Advocacy Center

• Advocacy Issues
• Needs rights of older persons from their own
  perspective
• Concern for welfare of elderly
• Adequacy of economic resources in old age
• Evolve and implement methodologies for better
  living conditions of older persons
• Life cycle model of economic well-being
• Old age generational gender differences
  relating to economic status
• Attempt to bridge intergenerational gap

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Research Advocacy Center

• Currently underway
• Research
• Nationwide study of needs rights of senior
  citizens from their own perspective
• Issues of concern for welfare of senior citizens
• Evolution and implement of new methodologies for
  improving living conditions of senior citizens
• Analysis
• Gap analysis between intergenerational Indian
  senior citizens condition and status
• Data consolidations analysis of issues faced by
  senior citizens since the year 1999

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The Financial ProfileSenior Citizens

• Senior citizens largely fall in two categories
• Organised Sector
• Pension
• Non pension
• Unorganised Sector
• Financially weak - poverty stricken
• Financially strong - self reliant
• Financially supported - joint / family support

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Contact Management- Breakup
Social Issues 34
Medical Legal Issues 22
Financial, Pension Insurance Issues 24
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Our Focus

• To initiate a debate and identify the current
  perspectives and issues that are being
  experienced by the senior citizens in the
  country, culminating with applicable solutions to
  problem areas and present the same to the policy
  decision makers.
• Series of symposiums address-
• Social needs (conducted on 12 / 04 /06)
• Medical needs (conducted on 30 / 06 / 06)
• Legal needs (conducted on 08 / 09 / 06)
• Financial Needs ( Sought by demand )

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• Todays Focus

Financial Needs Rightsof Older Persons