Senior Citizens & their Associations.

Senior Citizens And Their Associations:

What is Senior Citizen? When we talk or think of a Citizen, we visualize a civilized, responsible person with rights & duties! Senior Citizen being senior is more respectable, more civilized, more responsible person with more rights & more duties! The status of Senior Citizen is very high in the entire World! This status is given to elderly citizens by United Nations Organization, accepted by all Nations!
First and foremost duty of educated Senior Citizens and Associations is to make all Senior Citizens of their entire area of operation realize and cherish this superior status given by United Nations Organization and to bring them out of inertia of remaining aloof and idle and encourage them to mix freely with all in the society. Associations must have full data of all Senior Citizens in their area, their needs-financial, social and individual. All must be encouraged to become members of Associations and participate in the activities of Associations and other social organizations of the area. There is sufficient number of individuals and organizational donors to help the needy, sufficient number of doctors for free check-up and free medicines, enough social workers and Senior Citizens to give company for talking-walking to the needy Senior Citizens. It is for the Associations to match the needy with givers! Associations must ensure that all Senior Citizens of their area remain Healthy, Busy, and Happy.
Senior Citizens must realize that they are not the spent force, as believed by society. They are the Think Tank of the society/country. Age is not a bar to living actively and pursuing your professional, academical or social pursuits. It may be true that in service, there may be a retirement at a particular age but this does not debar a Senior Citizen to pursue his field of choice. Our President, Prime Minister, many of the Scientists, Writers, Thinkers, Traders, Actors, Noble Prize Winners etc are Senior Citizens and working for more than 12 to 18 hours a day and shining in their fields! No Senior Citizen should feel that he is to survive for a few years and has to go soon from this World and hence remain inactive or live lying down! Scientific and Medical Faculties are progressing so well and so fast that change of gene & cells shall shortly increase the life span beyond imagination! Each Senior Citizen has to realize this and plan out his life and activities for a long span! Dr. Deepak Chopra`s theory in ``Ageless Body & Timeless Mind``must be kept in view and the whole outlook towards life should be changed! It is your Mind Set and not the Age, which makes you restrict yourself! Please, remember always that if you don’t mind your age, it won’t keep you back in any field of your choice!
Have a pride in belonging to the Senior Citizen Community. Use all privileges and facilities given to Senior Citizens, even when you are capable to do away with the same, keeping in view other Senior Citizens, as, once, some do not use them, authorities/ public shall expect all to follow them.
Detachment as per our Vedic Culture is good but keeping in view the anticipated long life span, it is necessary to remain actively interested in day to day activities, needs and especially in SELF-DEVELOPMENT. We must remain open minded to learn new things and adapt all new investigations & facilities like Computers, Mobiles etc. Our Aims should be : Keep Growing, Participate in all activities to the extant possible, Remain busy in some constructive social work of our choice, Come out of age old pride, prejudices and inertia, if any, Go out for Picnics, Entertainments etc. Remember that all cells of our body are renewed periodically and there is no decline in energy due to age only. Remember that we are the makers of our own destiny and can do, whatever we want, if we remain Healthy, Happy & Busy.
Many Senior Citizens are afraid of thoughts! Remember that thoughts have no value till we accept them and act on them. Enjoy long life span. Love everyone and laugh as much as you can. Even artificial laughter in laughter clubs has been proved to be beneficial for good health and as such join such clubs and laugh as much as you can and whenever and wherever you can! Successful and happy ageing depends on you and your feelings of happiness and satisfaction with your life and your activities.
All Associations need recognition by Government and our powerful Media so that whatever they represent for Senior Citizens get remedied promptly and problems of Senior Citizens get highlighted in Media, necessitating early action by the concerned parties. Government must expedite implementation of National Policy sincerely. Media must help highlighting all needs of Senior Citizens to all concerned. No Associations, Federations, Confederations, Foundations can get Senior Citizens their rights, benefits and respected place in the Society, as expediously as Our Fourth Estate- the Powerful Media- the Newspapers, the Magazines, the T.V.Channels. As a torch bearer for the entire society, it is necessary for Media to help Senior Citizens in all respects.
Passing time usefully & peacefully is a major need of Senior Citizens. Most of their Associations do not have accommodation to meet regularly. They hardly meet 2-3 times in a year. Royal College, Mira Road has shown the way by giving spacious accommodation for daily meeting for 3 hours from 16 to 19 hrs and free use of their Library, Indoor Games and school bus for picnics. 30-40 Senior Citizens gather every day and exchange views on useful topics and do social service to all citizens of their areas. Let Good Institutes open their doors and give as many facilities as possible for passing time usefully in their crucial phase of life. They will be useful to the Institute & the Society with their varied experience in various fields.

All Associations, Federations, Confederations should ensure the following:
1) Get registered under the relevant act, obtain registration for giving 80 G certificates for donations, and get affiliated to all India/World Organizations.
2) No politics, no religion, no discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, sex etc but don’t avoid spirituality and philosophies.
3) Meet as often as possible. Have Picnics, Activity Centers, Games, Library, Celebrations of festivals, birthdays etc.
4) Collect data of all Senior Citizens of your area, make them realize their higher social status; help them to come out of inertia, helplessness, wherever & whenever necessary. Get data of donors-individuals as well as corporate level-; other social organizations of the area for coordination, doctors, chemists, hospitals, educational institutes, shopping malls etc for getting help for needy Senior Citizens.
5) Collect data useful to Senior Citizens like Elder Homes, Elder Colonies, Holiday Homes & Convalescent Homes for Senior Citizens, Facilities & Concessions, Details of other Organizations, Associations doing social service & welfare of Senior Citizens, Picnic Places around, Gardens, Libraries, Institutes, Clubs etc. Federations/Confederations should have more detailed information on such matters & should have an up to date Web Sites.
6) Arrange for second careers for needy Senior Citizens, Investment Plans & advice, Medical camps & periodical check-up & lectures by prominent doctors, Lectures on general topics & Entertainment programmes; Debates & discussions among members and various other activities and games.
7) Resolutions should be passed from time to time after discussions for encouraging local Media to give space for expression, on social current topics for sending to concerned authorities, appreciating good work done by Municipal Corporations, Government Departments etc.
8) Matters of concern to Senior Citizens as well as other Citizens should be represented by letters, personal approach and even by demonstrations/dharna etc, as necessary.
9) If possible, publish small magazine/souvenir etc to encourage members to express. Have essay competition on important topics pertaining to Senior Citizens. Encourage Senior Citizens to write their experiences in life.
10) Let capable members guide & advise Senior Citizens & other Citizens in the line of their expertise. Let members help Civic & Govt authorities for various social projects like polio drops, HIV awareness, census, elections, family planning, adult & child literacy drives, prohibition drives, tree plantations; respect towards women and weaker sections, floods, earthquakes, encroachments of foot paths by hawkers etc. Encourage members to participate in Peace Committees, Advisory Committees etc and to visit Hospitals, Elder Houses etc for helping, giving company, reading to those interested, giving fruits, medicines etc.