Scope of Partnership.................
Ms. Sharmila Majumder,
Territory Head (WB, NE & Andamans)
Dr. Dibyendu Ghosh
Dy. Director-Programmes

DID YOU KNOW?
There are an estimated 10 crore elderly in India.

5.5 crore sleep on an empty stomach every night.
Just about the population of UK

An estimated 50 lakh
live alone
More than all of Australia

1 out 8 elderly feel no
one cares they exist

1.2 crore are blind …
Only because they cannot
afford the cure.

90 % have to
continue to work
If they have to live.

In less than 20 years, the grey population …
will Double!

THEIR NEED IS IMMENSE
the Time to Act is NOW!!

Ageing Scenario
• There are 100 million elderly in India (2011)
• 55 million go to sleep on an empty stomach
every night
• 12 million are blind
• In 2040, within 30 years… the grey population
in India will double again. (200 million)

A happy old age ?
Over 90% from unorganized sector
have:
• No Pension
• No Provident Fund
• No Gratuity
• No Medical Scheme
• 73% are illiterate and earn their livelihood
through Manual Labour

Health Status
•Under 3% of GDP spent on health
•Public Health Centers are inadequate in numbers
•There is no Geriatric Training

MISSION
To work nationwide for the cause and care of
disadvantaged older persons and to improve
their quality of life.

About HelpAge India
 A leading nationwide organization working with and for the
elderly in India for over 30 years.
 It voices the concerns of the elderly.
 It protects their rights, focusing on issues such as pensions, health
care, social inclusion etc.
 It advocates strongly for their cause
 It runs age care programmes throughout the country.
 It also advises & facilitates the government in policy formation.
Log onto: www.helpageindia.org
• Registered in 1978 under the Societies Registration Act of 1860.
• Donations to HelpAge India’s approved projects are 100% Tax
Exempt under Section 35 AC & 80 GGA of the Income Tax Act.

HelpAge India
runs and implements various Programmes & Projects
across the country, to help elderly live a life of
dignity and independence

MOBILE MEDICARE UNITS (MMUs)
 Is a mobile healthcare clinic
 It brings healthcare to the door
steps of the elderly
 Each MMU vehicle is manned
with a qualified doctor,
pharmacist and a social worker.
 Medicines & treatment are
dispensed virtually free of cost.
PHYSIOCARE
 A little care and caution can prevent or
delay many disabilities.
 HelpAge delves into Physio care services
for the elderly across the country through
its Agecare centres.

PALLIATIVE CARE
 Is the care of patients and their families,
by a team of trained professionals when the
patient’s disease is no longer responsive to
curative treatment and life expectancy is
relatively short.
 HelpAge runs Community Managed
Palliative Care programmes in Kerala and
Tamil Nadu.
 For those older people with no family
and no financial or social support,
HelpAge takes care of their basic
needs.
 The destitute elderly are provided
basic ration, daily use articles,
clothing and some money to sustain
themselves through the year, so they
can live with dignity & independence.
For more info, log onto:
www.supportagran.org
SUPPORT - A - GRAN

HELPLINES
 HelpAge Helplines address
problems of elders such as
isolation abuse & neglect.
 They facilitate emergency
responses
 Provide information on access to
various elderly schemes
 Provide linkages with the
government, police, referral
rescue & relief services.
 Counsel elders
LIVELIHOOD SUPPORT
 HelpAge's income generation & micro-credit schemes
enable the elderly to look after themselves and their
family.
 Restores their self confidence and dignity.

SELF HELP GROUPS
HelpAge helps destitute elderly form Self-Help groups so they
can lead a life of self sustenance and not be dependent on
anyone for their basic needs.
OLD AGE HOMES/ DAY CARE CENTRES
 HelpAge-supported Old Age Homes & Day Care Centres serve as a home
away from home.
 These are safe havens for those who fall through the family net or have no
one to call their own.
 HelpAge Day Care Centres serve as a common place to share each other’s
concerns.
 HelpAge envisions residential complexes for elders offering a broader range
of services and comfort, such as those provided in HelpAge – NDTV
supported Tamaraikulam Elders village, in Cuddalore (TN) and Kalyan
Ashram in Kolkata (WB).

AGECARE SERVICE HUBS (ASH)
Agecare Service Hubs are a composite response to senior citizens needs
across urban areas.
They provide customized services such as:
 A helpline facility
 Physiocare
 Recreation activities
 A tea/coffee corner
 Assistive devices
 Healthcare
 A library
 Computer literacy
 Discounted services
 Servicing homes for the aged
 Opportunities for active ageing
and
 Volunteering and working with Senior Citizens’ Associations
RELIEF & REHABILITATION
 During disasters the worst affected are the elderly.
 HelpAge works at rehabilitating these elderly.
 It provides them with relief material.
 And long term sustainability options.
 HelpAge has actively run projects during the Kashmir & Gujarat earthquakes, Orissa cyclone &
floods, the 2004 Tsunami, Bihar floods in 2008 among others.

WORKING WITH SENIOR CITIZEN ASSOCIATIONS
HelpAge works in conjunction with Senior Citizens Associations
(SCAs) across the country for better advocacy of their rights
and entitlements.
HelpAge advocates at the grass root Level
9 projects have been undertaken under the Poorest Area Civil Society
(PACS) in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
This project benefited more than 22 thousand older persons to claim
their entitlements.
ADVOCACY

HERITAGE TOURS
Special Tours for the elderly are organized to historical & religious places, with the aim to fulfill
their dreams and reward them physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The tours give an
opportunity to the elders to explore places they always wanted visit but never could during busy
lives. These tours help tackle the problem of isolation, boredom and neglect.

EYE CARE

• Advancing age is susceptible to numerous diseases especially the
degenerative disorders. The frequency of eye diseases has been
suggested to start increasing around 40 years of age, with an even
steeper increase beginning around 60 years of age.
• Vision loss among the elderly is a major health care problem.
Approximately one person in three has some form of vision-reducing
eye disease by the age of 65. The most common causes of vision loss
among the elderly are age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma,
cataract and diabetic retinopathy.
• Population based cross-sectional surveys depicting the magnitude of
ocular diseases among the elderly population in India are scanty. A
proper understanding of the magnitude of ocular diseases and the
factors associated with their occurrence in the community would
help in planning for geriatric eye care services.
• More than 80% of the 12 million blind people in India, can’t see due
to cataract.
C&P/ Sonali Sharma/ 27.10.11
IDOP Media Coverage
The Problems………

Current Scenario & Modus Operandi………..
• HelpAge India restores the vision of thousands of elderly each year through free cataract
C&P/ Sonali Sharma/ 27.10.11
IDOP Media Coverage
surgeries.
• HelpAge India funds 35000 to 40000 cataract (Intra – Ocular Lens ) surgeries every year
for senior citizens belonging to economically weaker section of the society through a
network of partner eye care institutions
• HelpAge India subsidises the surgery cost to an amount of Rs.1200/- per surgery
• HelpAge India follows the following process of empanelling a partner and during
implementation
• The Institution visit
• Partner registration in HelpAge India portal with registration certificate, MOA , FCRA
registration, 12A & 80G registration certificates uploaded along with 3 years audited
statements , annual report .
• Partner submitting proposals with budget break-up and partner contribution
• Signing of MOU with approved budget break-up, activity reporting format, financial
reporting format and case study formats
• 90% funds in advance
• Tentative screening and surgery dates to be provided by partner in advance
• HelpAge India representative visit during implementation
• Report submission and reimbursement of the balance amount

The Challenges………
• Uniform Practice & protocol – varying requirement by donors resulting in different
types of implementing procedures by eye care institutions
• Uniform & standardized reporting – different reporting pattern and formats
followed by donors and implementing organisations
• Uniform fund allocation – variation in fund allotment by donor and fund
requirement by eye care organisation
• Standard Infrastructure – Different institutions having different types of software &
hardware for implementation
• Un-concentrated drive to eradicate loss of vision resulting out of cataract & other
C&P/ Sonali Sharma/ 27.10.11
IDOP Media Coverage
eye diseases
• Inadequate and sporadic use of IEC materials and inappropriate awareness
generation specially in rural India
• Unavailability of data and statistics due to unavailability of a common data
uploading and downloading platform

Future Scope of Partnership………
• Developing treatment packages for
• Glucoma
• Diabetic Retinopathy
C&P/ Sonali Sharma/ 27.10.11
IDOP Media Coverage

Lot of Effort is put in ………………….
All it needs is a concentrated push…………………
Together WE CAN………………….
C&P/ Sonali Sharma/ 27.10.11
IDOP Media Coverage

Help us Bridge this GAP

THANK YOU