Every citizen must taste death; not old age. One has to live long to reach old age. The palate and bitterness, pleasure and sadness, smile and tears of old age elude the person who dies in his/her youth. A person who lives long enough to reach old age encounters a situation and an environment which are different from those faced by the younger cohort. The differences reside in areas related to physical and mental ability, financial resources, family structure and social environment. According to criteria set by the National Board of Revenue and the Directorate of Savings, persons above 65 are euphemistically called senior citizens. This also fits in with the definition used in developed countries. In Bangladesh employees of government offices, autonomous bodies and private organisations by and large retire at sixty. In this article sixty year has been taken as the threshold age to define senior citizens. Cohort above the threshold age will be the subject of discussion in this write-up.
The world has experienced tremendous advancement in medical science. At the macro level average expectancy of life at birth markedly increased in the last fifty years. In the sixties or even in the early seventies the average longevity in this part of the world was around 45 years. Now it is about 70. In developed countries it about 80. A big achievement, indeed. At the individual level longevity has not increased in the last 3000 years. The oldest living person in the world is now around 116. In 800 BC Greek poet Homer lived for 100 years (800Bc -700Bc). He was not the only person to live a marathon life. There were many other famous persons who lived a long life before Christ. Notable among them were Confucius (72 years), Hippocrates (83 years), Plato (80 years), Sophocles (90 years), Euripides (78 years), Democritus (90 years). Intellectuals who lived a long life after renaissance are Thomas Hobbes (91 years) Voltaire (84 years), Benjamin Franklin (84 years). Next, a few famous people in the 18th and 19th centuries who lived for four score years and more: Tagore (80 years), Somerset Mom (91 years), John Keynes (80 years), Bertrand Russell (98 years), Thomas Alva Edison (83 years). Lalon Shah, it is believed, had lived for about 116 years. The long list above suggests that the odds that mortal will live beyond 120 are very thin. An old person in our definition can expect to live a maximum of 50 to 60 years once he has entered the club of senior citizens. It will not be a pessimistic statement to say that most of the senior citizens will stop by 90; it may rather be a pragmatic projection. The old age for them will therefore span over a period of thirty years.
The quality of life for the senior citizens has, however, been tremendously improved by major breakthrough in medical science, biochemistry, nutrition science and economic development. In the 50s and sixties we used to consider people between 50-60 as old people. People above 60 would appear too weak and fragile, incapable to lead an active normal life. Citizens above 70 would by and large be banished from work situation. Those above 80 would be confined to their home premises only. There has been a marked change in the situation in the last few decades. Senior citizens belonging to lower middle class and above continue to be active and productive at 70. They do not sport marks of old age in their countenance. Many of them can pass as active adults of 60.
Cultivated healthy look notwithstanding, persons beyond 60 experience some inevitable changes in their way of life. They have to take some medicine on a daily basis, practice some workout, be careful about their movement and discrete about their food habits. A segment of them find it comfortable to abridge their work hour. Those who suffer from loss of income may tend to be overly frugal in their routine transactions. Senior citizens above 70 cannot afford to maintain a long work hour though some of them may apparently look healthy and kicking. Lot of restrictions are imposed on their movement, food intake, work style and business transactions. Their productivity wanes, they need active support of assistants in order to accomplish routine tasks, let alone arduous work. Despite active engagements here and there with some political, social or executive clout, they can discern the shadow of old age and dotage looming in the horizon. Persons above 80 lead a guardian's life in the family and profession with a very light work load. Their physical capacity and in most cases mental capacity as well are dwarfed substantially such that their movement is slow and response is tardy. This cohort of aged persons either lives on their savings or direct support from the children and near relatives. On the strength of a disciplined healthy life they can still help the society, nation and the progeny through offering useful advice emanating from their education, experience and wisdom.
Those who receive unqualified and generous support from the progeny are lucky indeed. Five items are essential for a happy and comfortable life of an aged person: (1) physical comfort including health care, (2) food, (3) sensual pleasure, (4) recreation and (5) thrill/euphoria and emotional kicks. One needs both money and material to assemble such a life; not all old persons are endowed with these resources. Most old people suffer from minor indisposition. Their routine life or movement is not affected by this, but they have to be careful about administering necessary medicine timely. Some persons are mentally alert to administer the medicines timely by themselves. Some other needs the assistance of family members or near ones for the job, they feel utterly handicapped sans this assistance. Physical comfort is meant to include mainly accommodation and transport for movement. Lack of family transport does not pose any big problem in mofussil towns or rural areas, it does in big cities like Dhaka and Chittagong. Lack of family transport entails many problems other than physical discomfort. Transport support is therefore essential for an old man living in big cities. The next important requirement is food. Food is not only an essential item for survival of an aged person, it is also a big source of pleasure for him/her. An aged person cannot afford to be negligent about the quality and category of food items. S/he is terribly irritated and disappointed if the food items offend her/his palate. Because lot of people remain in good health beyond 80 sensual pleasure has not been dropped from the demand list. More important item is recreation.
Elderly people are generally attached to recreational facilities. Daily papers, television, books and magazines, music sets, videos, camera and computers are great sources of recreation and happiness. They also enjoy rendezvous, visiting friends and relatives and travelling within the country and abroad. Absence of these facilities pinches them severely. The last important item is thrill/euphoria and emotional kicks. They are thrilled by exciting good news for themselves, their children or grand children. Any family mishap, sad news for themselves or near and dear ones upset them tremendously, hanging unbearable at times. Good news, big achievement, agreeable company and pleasant treatment from others are unfailing sources of happiness for elderly people. On the contrary, un-agreeable situation stands to aggravate their pains intensely.
Unfortunately a big segment of adult population is deprived of the facilities essential for a happy living in the old age. The first two items critically needed for a comfortable life are beyond the reach of these people. They do not get the necessary support from family members and close relatives. Instead they are often exploited and persecuted by the persons surrounding them. It has been revealed through a survey that in Bangladesh 88 per cent elderly people are subject to psychological stress, 83 per cent suffer negligent/indifferent behaviour, 54 per cent are economically exploited and 40 per cent are physically assaulted by their near and dear ones. Such predicament encountered by old people has turned out to be a universal phenomenon. Elderly persons are victims of indifference, skulduggery, heist, corporal and mental torture in countries like Mozambique, Peru and, surprisingly, in Sweden. Physical debility, loneliness, financial hardship, lack of mobility and dependence on others to carry out daily chores push them to privation, cheating and persecution. Intellectuals and analysts observe that an international convention should be convened under the aegis of the United Nations to promote and protect the rights of senior citizens through out the world. An organizational framework may be created in the light of convention's recommendations in order to mitigate the problems of senior citizens. (Financial Express, June 16, 2014).
It is heartening to know that a law has been enacted to ensure effective support of (old ) parents by adult children (Act 49 of 2013). Very few countries are blessed with such an act. The rights of parents have been formally recognised and a legal window has been created to establish the right at the family level. The act is honed with some punitive clauses. The young generation and society have been built on heart-felt love, hard work and sacrifice of elderly people. Negligence and persecution toward them are not acceptable at all by any standard. The able adult cohort needs to support their parents as a matter of pride, honour and coveted responsibility; not trying to match the legal responsibility only.
Studies have found that recognition and honour stand to prolong the longevity of a mortal. Absence of recognition, honour and care renders a healthy and active elder into a debilitated old person. An old man is defined as one who no longer attracts the attention of family members and relatives, friends and acquaintances, neighbours and common men. We should take utmost care so that our near and ones do not suffer such predicament.
Dr. Saadat Husain is a former chairman of the Public
Service Commission.
saadathussain@yahoo.com
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