Chorao’s elderly take steps to ensure their own safety

Panaji: Fedup of waiting for the government to act, senior citizens from Chorao have begun to take proactive steps to ensure their own safety. On the island, home to a substantial number of elderly folk living alone, citizens formed a three-member cell to look after the interests of their seniors.

By law, each police station is required to maintain an up-to-date list of senior citizens, especially those living by themselves. To help police accelerate the process and abide by the provisions of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, and Goa Rules, 2009, the cell's members have now procured forms from the Old Goa police station, under whose jurisdiction Chorao falls.

Twenty young volunteers are currently going door-to-door to get them filled.

The forms are expected to have the senior citizens' address and contact details as well as those of their caretaker, relatives or friends who can be contacted should am emergency arise. "All the filled forms will then be submitted to the police station," Hazel Fernandes, a retired banker and cell member, told TOI.

Not only do senior citizens feel threatened — houses in Chorao are far apart, and there have been incidents of theft — many don't have a senior citizen card. Moreover, sources told TOI that many of them aren't aware of the benefits available to them. The cell aims to change these.

The cell has also begun identifying centrally-located places where senior citizens can engage in recreational activities.

Esperence Rodrigues, convenor of the Choral Civil and Consumer forum who initiated the cell, recently organized a senior citizens' welfare programme. She expected 50 people, but over 200 turned up.

Old Goa police inspector Ashish Shirodkar spoke about protection of life and property, while assistant director of the social welfare department, Sudesh Gaude, threw light on various schemes for financial assistance and welfare for senior citizens. A medical student, Suhasi Gaonkar, spoke to the senior citizens on various health0related issues including diabetes, heart problems, dementia and their symptoms.

Another issue raised at the meeting was that of the disorderly manner in which vehicles board the ferry to and from the island.