GHMC daycare centres make elders feel at home
Set up under Aasara programme, daycare centres help senior citizens make their later years happier
Hyderabad: The infrastructure and public amenities the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has put in place in Hyderabad over the last six years is just one frame from the entire roll. The big picture is complete only when the series of welfare schemes that was introduced for all sections of society is considered.
Among all those initiatives, one that has stood out is the daycare centre concept for the elderly under the Aasara programme. The concept, which started with less than 15 centres, has expanded in no time and 126 such centres are presently active across the city. Each month, the civic body grants Rs 6,000 to each of these centres for maintenance and other purposes.
Narayana Rao, general secretary of Aasara Circle 5 for the Saroornagar division, says: “We are getting a lot of importance after the formation of separate Telangana. The GHMC provides Rs 50,000-worth material such as plastic chairs, almirahs, bookshelf and play material in the initial stage. After five years, select centres again get a grant of Rs 40,000 for further strengthening. LB Nagar Zonal Commissioner Upender Reddy and Deputy Commissioner KJ Vijay Krishna have recently sanctioned us that amount.”
Undoubtedly, these centres have turned to be a boon for many senior citizens who otherwise would have ended up counting their days in loneliness in their homes.
“These centres make us feel at home. We can get along with people of our age group here and also engage in indoor games, do yoga, and read books and newspapers. It is helping us develop social relations and overcome loneliness,” says 60-year-old Ramesh of Vasavi Colony.
Ramulu, another senior citizen, says: “It is very tough for people our age to go out every day and relax for some time. We usually come across elderly people sitting on the roadside trying to pass time. However, these daycare centres break such monotony and help us actively spend time with others of our age group.”
The estimated senior citizen population in Telangana, as per the 2011 Census, is around 34.4 lakh. As of October 2019, the GHMC has issued identity cards to nearly 1.33 lakh of them who had enrolled with different centres.
Some of these daycare centres arrange picnics, get-togethers, birthday parties and other events. Caretakers are also available here, and there are books, television, CD player and indoor games for their recreation, among other facilities, offered free of cost.
The GHMC has also launched physiotherapy services in the centres. A physiotherapist visits the centre twice or thrice a week and extends the service required to the inmates. Emphasis is on providing post-surgery care, age-related ailments and others.
All the Basti Dawakhanas and primary health centres are linked with the daycare centres for better coordination and extending effective physiotherapy service. All the referral cases from health centres and Basti Dawakhanas are registered from time to time and physiotherapists are deployed at the nearby centres accordingly. Free monthly medical camps too are conducted and medicines are given free of cost.
In a first-of-its-kind move, a daycare centre for senior citizens dedicated solely for women has opened recently at Bhagat Singh Nagar in Saroornagar. The State government has also made senior citizens feel wanted in this State, introducing Aasara, a new pension scheme, enhancing the monthly pension from Rs 200 to Rs 2,016, beneficiaries say.
The government has also launched a toll-free helpline number ‘14567’ for the aged. They can call on the numbers from anywhere in the State for any help. The voice is recorded and sent to the respective welfare officer for follow-up action. If they need medical help, they can call on104.
‘Kanti Velugu’ initiative, started in 2018 to screen people across the State for vision-related health problems free of cost, was an instant hit among senior citizens.
“The State government is giving a lot of importance to senior citizens. This was not the case with any other government earlier. The special schemes introduced have helped us a lot,” said 80-year-old Nagamma.
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