Right activists and experts on Sunday marked the significance of elderly people of the society, saying they are country’s assets not liabilities. They also warned not to abuse them.
According to National Human Rights Commission Chairman Kazi Reazul Hoque, “Elderly people are in no way liabilities to society and rather ‘our assets’ as they carry the experience of the past and pass it on to the new generation.”
“Bangladesh has enacted the Parents Maintenance Act and has a wonderful national policy for elderly people that covers everything (aspects)...what we need to do is to disseminate and enforce them...most importantly we had a social responsibility towards the elderly people which we now need to revive,” he said.
Hoque said there was a trend of ‘neglect and abuse’ of senior citizens in view of changing social pattern and issued a clarion call for increasing awareness to make the lives of aged people easy.
“Our social system is not in tune at this moment...neglect and abuse of elderly parents by their children appears to be a new social trend in Bangladesh,” said Dr Rahman Jilani, founder and executive director of London-based Sir William Beveridge Foundation (SWBF).
He suggested use of mosques as centres for social works including the campaign for safeguarding the senior citizens, therefore urged people to recall the heritage of Bengali society by caring for elderly parents.
Jilani fears that ‘neglect and abuse’ of elderly people go unreported in most of the cases, barring social and administrative intervention, though such acts are punishable under the country’s legal system.
“Imagine yourself as a 75-year old and then think what type of behaviour you expect from others and shape your attitude,” said Professor Dr ASM Atiqur Rahman of Social Welfare and Research Institute of Dhaka University.
Reputed nutrition expert Professor Dr Keramat Ali noted that 26 per cent who walks along the Dhanmondi Lake were found to be suffering from cognitive impairment, updated form of dementia, according to a BSS report.
Neuro psychiatrist Colonel Dr M Quamrul Hassan said three types of doctors – geriatrists, neurologists and psychiatrists are meant to treat the elderly people, while in most cases the psychiatrists can also cover the tasks of two other disciplines in handling dementia.
The experts urged everyone to come forward in helping the elderly people of the country.