Srinagar: The Vice-Chancellor University of Kashmir Prof Nilofer Khan Thursday chaired a seminar on ‘Elderly Abuse’, a first-of-its-kind event organized by the Varsity to put a spotlight on the issue which experts described as “alarming in Kashmir”.
The seminar was jointly organized by the Department of Social Work (DoSW), KU, in collaboration with Gauri Kaul Foundation, a non-profit organization working for elderly care, to commemorate the World Elderly Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD)-2023.
Addressing academics and students at the inaugural session, Prof Nilofer underlined the need to spread awareness on elderly care beyond the four walls of the University to create a society that values its elders and treats them with all respect, dignity, compassion, and empathy.
Saying that the University of Kashmir is always open to such discussions having great societal significance, the VC congratulated the DoSW and Gauri Kaul Foundation for joining hands to hold the present seminar.
In his keynote address, Dr Zubair Saleem, Senior Geriatric Consultant and Director, Gauri Kaul Foundation, highlighted his Kashmir-based study of nearly 27,000 elderly persons of which, he said, at least 50% reported to be facing elderly abuse in one or the other form.
“We saw these 26,237 patients in two different settings: those who were financially dependent and those who were financially independent. Besides various effects that we documented like cardiovascular diseases, preliminary disease, etc., there was one drastic thing that we noticed which is the psychiatric and sleep disorders in these senior citizens,” Dr Saleem said.
“The study revealed 43% elderly abuse in one setting and 52.3% in the other, which means around 50%. It is not a joke. It means one out of two people. And I think this estimate is conservative because it is only after lots of effort that people narrate their plight.”
Describing the situation as “alarming”, Dr Saleem—also an Organising Secretary of the seminar—also spelled out various forms of elderly abuse and their far-reaching implications on the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of the victims.
