Senior Citizens need Service with Care

6:30 AM  |  Delhi

I can’t see houses across the street today.  Visibility is quite poor. Actually, this part of Delhi usually experiences a thicker fog than the rest, for there are large open spaces due to proximity to the Airport.

The repeated thunderous roar in air is also missing. The last I heard of it was around midnight before sleep. Which means no take-off, no landing as yet. Passengers must be stranded at the airport. Nothing unusual though, for it happens every year. But for some of those who are stranded it could be rather unusual, to the extent painful as well. Which reminds me of an incident of winter 2003.

My 76 year old Bua (father’s sister) was to travel back to USA from Delhi. But 2-3 days before departure she was informed by the Airlines that instead of Delhi the flight would take-off from Mumbai. Reason cited was fog. Needless to say, the Airlines had arranged to transport passengers from Delhi to Mumbai.

But my Bua was in tears on hearing this. Fog had only added to her miseries. As it is she walks with great difficulty. Joint pains have made her legs bow-shaped and she has lost height as well (yes! thats what Osteoporosis can do). She was now worried about the wait time at Mumbai Airport.

For her, being at the Airport means being at the mercy of an attendant. Though it wasn’t the first time for her, but the sheer thought of having to undergo that twice – once at Delhi Airport and then at Mumbai – made her tense. A little less ability makes one helpless – it was writ large on her face.

As expected she had a tough time. She was stranded on a wheel chair in the lounge in Mumbai Airport with nobody to attend to her needs for long intervals of time. It was a gruelling journey and since then she vowed never to travel to Delhi in foggy winters. 

My thoughts came back to the currently stranded passengers in Delhi, specially the elderlies.

Service & Care
Maintaining service standards is a challenging task. But in times such as these (at Airports) it might not be easy for the service to stay impeccable all the time. Any extra rush of passengers would only worsen the situation. But then, despite this logic, we all know that elders need extra attention and care, just like children do.

Though children and elderlies should never travel alone, but if they have to, and are provided with an attendant by the Airlines, then its important that the attending staff not only wheel or accompany the person when needed but also understand their needs. This is what caring is all about.

Mere provision of a service does not mean that the attitude is caring. Care comes when the attendant is proactive. Its worth remembering, that service without care has no meaning.

Related Posts:
The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007
State Commissions for Women in India
State Human Rights Commissions in India
Old Age Homes in India
Benefits, Concessions and Schemes for Senior Citizens in India

Related Links:
National Osteoporosis Foundation (USA)
BBC – Health – Conditions – Osteoporosis