Awareness on cataract low in elderly
Cataract is the single-largest factor for blindness in India.
After the sudden death of her son, Shahida Begum, a middle-aged widow, was left with no option than to be at the mercy of her daughter-in-law.
Despite her son leaving behind wealth to sustain the family, her daughter-in-law refused to fulfil the basic needs of the widow, she was left with no other choice to take the legal path to get her rights.
She has hoped that her son would take care of her for life. After her son’s death she battled with her family members who were supposed to be by her side during her age. Her daughter-in-law is yet to give her the maintenance amount of Rs 4,000 a month, which the court had ordered for. Instead of being taken care of, she is forced to spend days waiting for justice.
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The sufferings of senior citizen Sandhya Das were nothing less painful than Shahida Begum’s. After her husband’s death, Sandhya Das was welcomed by her daughter and son-in-law with tall promises. In no time, the elderly citizen learnt that the claims of her beloved daughter were false, who abandoned her mother after snatching away all the savings. The senior citizen was forced to make ends meet by working as a cook. But her last hope of earning money was also lost when she fell ill and could not continue with her work anymore. Considering her helplessness, her neighbours rescued her from the agony and shifted to the old-age home.
Similar was the plight of several elderly citizens, who had gathered at Nandan today to observe the ‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’ organised by the state women and child development and social welfare department today. According to the minister, Dr Shashi Panja, the problems of atrocities on elderly citizens need to be fought together. It involves increased awareness and help from the police who could guide the elderly to approach the right authorities for getting their due rights while the government and society also play a crucial role in helping the elderly in such situations.
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