Elders Helpline releases booklet on concessions to Sr citizens

Bangalore, May 5 (UNI) Elders Helpline, a joint project of Bangalore city police and Nightingales Medical Trust (NMT) today released a directory of medical and other service providers offering concessions to senior citizens.

City Police Commissioner Neelam Achutha Rao released the booklet, which would be distributed free of cost to elders, at a function to mark Helpline's fifth anniversary here today.

The booklet aims to help financially insecure senior citizens looking for special concessions from both the government and private agencies, contains concessions and related information especially for their medical needs.

Nightingales Managing Trustee Radha S Murthy said the trust, which works for the betterment of the senior citizens, often gets calls regarding concessions available to them and the booklet comes handy.

The Trust which also conducted survey on elders found that only ten per cent of them were financially secure with regular retirement benefits while some of them depend only on their savings. With the rising cost of living, fluctuating interest rates and the absence of state sponsored social security benefits, most of the aged seek concessions in services such as medical, transport and banks, she said.

The findings of the survey also revealed that one third of the complaints made by the elders were against their own family members.

The complaints were in regard to exploitation, cheating, property disputes and missing elders.

UNI