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by Manjari Peiris

HelpAge Sri Lanka celebrates 15 years of service trying to improve the quality of life of older persons in Sri Lanka, irrespective of religion, caste or race.

The Executive Director of HelpAge told the Daily News that "the impact of programmes designed by the State and NGOs has not been proportionate to meet with the aspirations of the destitute older persons in Sri Lanka. The services which had been developed and provided have not reached 95% of vulnerable older persons."

The assumption of the new generation on older people seems to be that older people are repulsive and useless and a kind of a burden on the community.

However, aging is a phenomenon, which is common to all living beings on this earth. Similarly the old people, who are being considered as unproductive today, are those who did their contribution to the society in the past to make our lives comfortable and convenient today.

The traditional in-built social protection associated with extended family structure, spiritual values, gratitude, compassion, etc. placed old people in the foremost place in a family and society, in the past. Unfortunately these high morals seemed to have disappeared due to the influence of many immoral effects resulting in todays elders spending the last stages of life in isolation and in destitution.

N. W. E. Wijewantha, the Executive Director of HelpAge says that there has been no realistic policy and an effective plan of action to meet emerging contingencies, although welfare measures had been undertaken by governments since independence, and ratification of international conventions such as the World Plan of Action of 1982, the Charter of Elders of 1991, Macau Plan of Action of 1998 and the UN International year of Older persons of 1999.

He says that during 1970s both foreign development agencies and non-governmental organizations provided services for the disabled, the children and the marginalized communities. They also introduced the concept of community development mobilizing people to use their experience, initiatives and leadership in activities to assist them.

This influence motivated the local community organizations and social workers to deviate their activities onto areas of development based on participatory planning and decision-making. Due to this change the aged people received low priority even from those social service organizations. At present the percentage of older people of over 60 years is 10% of the population and from 2020 it will be 25% of the total population (Central Bank Report).

The HelpAge, which was set up on 26th January 1986 on the persuasion of HelpAge international of the United Kingdom, commenced its mission to bring comfort and happiness to the destitute older persons in Sri Lanka with a staff of 6 members. Their programmes are implemented to improve the quality of care and infrastructure at the existing elders' homes and conduct training programmes to train careers of the existing elders' homes and commenced fund raising programmes to provide the necessary financial support to improve the quality of homes for elders.

HelpAge International made the initial funding for the HelpAge training programmes. HelpAge Sri Lanka set up a model day care centre at Ratmalana in 1988 with 50 destitute older persons to improve their health, nutrition and social care. They were put through a programme of training in income generation too. The Day care concept prompted the poor elders to stay with their families during nighttime and obtain the necessary services from the centre during daytime. This service was known as "Meals on wheels" as those who could not attend the service sessions were provided with food assistance by sending it to their residences.

HelpAge took many steps to develop programmes and services based on the needs of the destitute older persons through need assessment surveys in urban and rural areas. Today HelpAge works effectively to empower and ensure that older people living with the rest of the community while improving their own quality of life enjoying fruitful lives in a "society for all ages."

HelpAge insists both governmental and non-governmental organizations that they should adopt strategies and programmes to educate the young generation on the preparation of aging practices, which would enable people to grow older without facing disabilities and chronic diseases. HelpAge realizes that older people can advocate their own issues if they are encouraged and given a chance. They also plan to promote and implement programmes to educate older persons on successful aging and ensure their care by strengthening their families to provide care needs of the homebound feeble elders by improving home care services.

The programmes would emphasize the need of older people developing abilities to maintain high mental and physical functions, active engagement with life's activities and avoiding of disease-related inability and maintenance of a low risk attitude regarding the onset of disease.

It is the opinion of HelpAge that in view of the continuing increase of the old population it is imperative to work out a policy at national, provincial, district, divisional and village levels to sustain the quality of life throughout old age.

HelpAge is planning to harness retired public and corporate sector professionals and various other service executives to map out a national aging strategy. This will enable obtaining the advice and opinions of retired senior citizens, as their contribution would be based on their long experience.

The objectives of this strategy will be to improve community attitudes to aging, improved health and well being for all aged Sri Lankans, more community activities for older persons to be started, promote and support older persons living with their families.

This would facilitate collection of correct information on older persons' experience and their abilities. It would help the younger generation for future planning for the care and welfare of older persons and also for preparation of a successful and happy old age.

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