 Somebody
once asked an old woman, "What is old age?" and she
replied -"The years are like sugar in your cup of tea.
The last sip is the sweetest!"
Making the life's later years sweeter than probably
what the vintage age - especially one in a city like
Delhi, could mature into, is the effort of HelpAge
India.
In the medically advanced India, where life expectancy
has shown a co nsiderable
upturn from 35 years in 1947 to 64 years as per the
census, there is an urgent need to correct our myopic
vision for the increasing number of the dependent
old population. From 75 million today, which is 7%
of the country's population, the graying population
will rise to 177 million by 2025. As of today 90%
do not have social security at the age of 60 and over
70% of the 60+ population are illiterates.
Under the aegis of the International agency with
26 branches in India, the  Delhi
unit has been operating since 1978. HelpAge India
implemented 376 projects to promote the 5 principles
of Care, Participation, Dignity, Self-fulfillment
and Independence.
As per the HelpAge authorities at Delhi, the specific
problem is that of increased emotional dependence
besides the health and financial dependency amongst
the aged. HelpAge India's unique Adopt-a-Gran program
links needy older people with individual and corporate
sponsors to help in form of food, clothing, medical
care, bedding etc.
 In
an effort to enable 'active' aging it has supported
Society for Social Services, Delhi with money
to buy things like wooden carts and items to sell
and later pay back. The concept of micro-credit facilities
being provided to the old have been successful in
reinstating the confidence into the otherwise debilitated
elderly.
There are 4 Mobile Medicare Units well equipped
with medicines, a doctor and a social worker, operating
in Delhi and catering to 30,000 people with support
being provided by major public and private concerns.
HelpAge has organised seminars to discuss issues like
elder abuse and organised Social development Fair
to highlight their work. One can also buy HelpAge
Greeting Cards and the money generated is used for
the purpose of fund generation.
In case you decide to make a gift to HelpAge India
in your will, or like to buy HelpAge Greeting cards
or better still like to make an online donation for
the noble cause, log on to: www.HelpAgeindia.com/donate
(secured by Verisign). And you could be making the
life's sweeter ages still more sweeter.
Address: C-14, Qutub Institutional Area,
New Delhi - 110 016.
- Saurabh Sharma
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12:04:16 PM 
