T’puram: The cabinet on Wednesday cleared a revamped policy for senior citizens. Social welfare minister R Bindu told reporters that the policy revision sought to ensure the dignity, wellbeing and active participation of senior citizens in Kerala by fostering an inclusive and equitable, age-friendly community where no elderly person is neglected.The key missions of the new policy for senior citizens are as follows: Promotion of active and healthy ageing to ensure the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of the elderly; improvement of integrated care systems with the help of local self-govt institutions, healthcare workers and voluntary organisations; steps to ensure social and intergenerational solidarity and infusing ageing considerations into the governance framework.Bindu said the guiding principles of the revised policy included a life-course approach to promote an active and productive later life by focusing on lifelong healthcare and skill development. It also encouraged lifelong learning, viewing ageing as a phase of continuous growth and contribution rather than decline. It aimed to strengthen health and wellbeing and social security through universal access to social welfare pensions and affordable insurance schemes.The minister said the policy emphasised disability-friendly frameworks, with emphasis on infrastructure, assistive technologies and appropriate care systems for the elderly. A zero-tolerance approach to neglect and abuse was a major highlight, she said. The policy proposed promoting social inclusion and reducing isolation, with equal access to services for all. It addressed the specific needs of elderly women and included expatriates, parents and elderly immigrants in social inclusion efforts.The minister said the following additional plans and programmes found a place in the revised policy: Preserving traditional skills and passing them on to new generations; providing internship opportunities for skilled elderly individuals; preserving oral histories and traditional knowledge; designing recreational spaces that included the elderly; establishing single-window systems for protection and grievance redressal; setting up fast-track justice systems for the elderly; and establishing a centre of excellence in gerontology.
