Seventy year-old Radha Devi from Kasganj’s Panchayat Bagh was about to die of hunger. Fortunately, she was rescued by some stranger who saw her plight. Radha Devi was found in a semi-conscious state. All thanks to the toll-free helpline 14567 to alert officials to the woman’s plight, and a field response leader arrived on the scene to transport the elderly woman to an old-age home with the help of police and tehsildar.
In order to aid the senior citizens who are abused by their own kith and kin, a helpline called ‘ Elder line-14567’ had been launched by the government.
The helpline was launched to address the issues of the elderly, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, in partnership with the National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) and state governments, established Elder Line, a National Helpline for Senior Citizens (NHSC). The Elder Line is currently hosted by the National Implementing Agency put up by MOSJE in collaboration with NISD (National Institute for Social Defence).
To supply services, state agencies would collaborate closely with all state departments and district officials. Elder Line 14567 is a toll-free number that is open 12 hours a day (8:00 AM to 8:00 PM) and provides free information, assistance, emotional support, field intervention in cases of abuse, and rescues to help senior adults enhance their quality of life.
During the pandemic, this helpline, in coordination with all state departments, provided older residents with accurate and timely information for medical needs, emotional support, and other related needs.
According to official data, the national helpline for the aged has received over 79,000 calls since October last year, including requests about pensions, COVID-19 support, and abuse.
However, out of the total 5,07,493 calls received by the helpline since October 1 last year, 4,28,442 have been ‘non serviceable calls’, constituting 84% of the total calls received on the helpline.
The Elder Line consists of two main components: a connect centre with officers who empathise with senior citizens and understand their problems, and a strong field support team that handles “on the field” interventions that are required outside of the service sought by the senior citizen.
Services offered to senior citizens are broadly categorised into four services:
Information- Doctors, Hospitals, Old Age Homes, and Activity centres etc.
Guidance- Legal, Maintenance act related, Pension related queries
Support- Life, anxiety, relationship management and emotional support
Intervention- Direct (addressing abuse of elders and conducting rescue of homeless and abandoned elders) and Indirect (building ecosystem)The non-serviceable calls include call drops, nuisance calls, calls for services for non-elderly, calls with out of scope requests and calls outside office hours.
According to latest data, in one year, the helpline has so far received 79,051 serviceable calls on topics such as pensions (22,430 calls), COVID-19 support (6,406), abuse (4,748), old age homes (2040), emotional support (1,856), and maintenance (1,326),according to official data.
More calls on the toll-free number 14567 have been received from men (44,348) than women (18,363).
State-wise call centres in 28 States and UTs under the Elder line project has been established by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The helpline also helps connect people to old age homes, caregivers, day care centres, hospitals and doctors, and elder care products. These calls are generally made by callers who need these details looking for specific elder care services.
About 5,959 calls led to field interventions like rescue of a homeless elderly and care for an abused elderly.
Among States/UTs, the highest number of calls have been received from Uttar Pradesh at 96,764 followed by Maharashtra at 40,239, Rajasthan at 30,219 calls, Karnataka at 29,953 and Madhya Pradesh at 26,689 and Uttarakhand at 23,685.
In several states, the helpline is receiving innumerable calls, and the number of calls is expected to rise soon.
The calls for mental support are sent to mental health specialists with geriatric treatment and counselling experience. Furthermore, the type of calls received can assist authorities in determining which locations to focus on..
On the occasion of International Day for Older Persons, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu had dedicated this Elder line to the nation and lauded the help extended by it to senior citizens.
Discussion about this post