Not all senior residents, nonetheless, can afford an previous age dwelling, mentioned Himanshu Rath, the founding father of Agewell Foundation — an organisation which which works for the welfare and empowerment of older individuals.

“Even the cheapest old age homes cost Rs 6,000 a month. How then will people who are dependent on state pension or those who come from low-income backgrounds afford these homes?” Rath identified.

Chanda Saini, 71, is a type of.

A home employee in Northwest Delhi, Chanda moved to Delhi from Rajasthan, 50 years in the past, after her marriage.

“I earn approximately Rs 6000 a month but this income is not stable. Jab mai beemar hoti hun toh kaam par nahi jaa paati aur pagaar se paisa kat jaata hai (When I fall sick and am not able to go to work, money is deducted from my salary),” she mentioned.

Saini has two sons, each moved out after marriage and work as every day wagers at building websites. She herself lives in a shanty close to Rohini.

As per Delhi authorities’s previous age pension scheme, an quantity of Rs 2500 monthly is given to individuals over 70 years of age.

Chanda, nonetheless, is unaware of any such scheme. “I can’t read or write. I also don’t have the time to visit a sarkaari office again and again to claim this money,” she mentioned.

Except for Saini who has regularly take the busy streets to succeed in to work, Deodas and Dabas mentioned they barely step out with no cause.

“I try to stay indoors. Delhi roads have no place for the elderly. Staying indoors is safer, and people on the streets sometimes also misbehave with the elderly. Once on a busy market lane, a person pushed me so hard that my shoulder pained for almost a week,” Dabas mentioned.

Dabas added that she generally does go to a park close to her home for night walks.

Deodas, nonetheless, lamented that there are not any open areas close to his previous age dwelling. “There are hardly any parks around here. Luckily, the home itself is very spacious. So I exercise here only,” he advised The Quint.

Deodas added that generally staying inside the house makes him really feel lonely. “Sometimes, I also feel lonely. But what has that got to do with my age? All people feel lonely at some point or the other. Even I do but then, I have a very strong support system here. We cheer each other up all the time,” he mentioned.

Rath agreed that there’s little sensitisation relating to the wants of the aged within the society.

“We need to sensitise our children and the youth towards the needs of the elderly. That’s the only way we can control crime against senior citizens and also help make public spaces safer for them. It’s time we introduce such things in our school curriculum,” he mentioned.