Kochi: Kochi City will be declared as the state’s first age-friendly city on Sunday as the city Corporation has started implementing programmes like ‘vayomithram’, elderly day care centre, age-friendly healthcare and a senior taxi service among others.
Mayor Soumini Jain will preside over a meet to be held at Subhash Park, the first age-friendly park, at 6 pm on Sunday when the declaration will be made and the action plan for the next three months announced.
Subhash Park, where a special walking track was constructed for senior citizens is part of the programmes to be implemented with the help of agencies like IMA, MAGICS, DTPC and Helpage India.
“We are building ‘Day care’ centres for the elderly at various locations in the city. Three including one at Thevara have started functioning. There are many instances when senior citizens are left alone in houses where couples go to work. These centres are not just Day cares, but also have facilities for medical check-up, provision of nutritious foods besides entertainment programmes,” said Ms Jain.
Under the ‘Vayomithram’ project, free medicines would be supplied to the houses of aged couples living alone as per requirement, she said.
Under the elderly healthcare initiative, free dementia screening will be conducted at regular intervals besides opening a memory clinic at the General Hospital. The Corporation with the help of MAGICS, an NGO, has also given shape to the age-friendly transport programme under which private buses, autos and taxis, that will give special consideration for senior citizens, will be selected.
“The crew will be trained on what treatment needs to be administered to the elderly in emergencies,” said Balu James of MAGICS.
The Corporation is also planning to hold a ‘Veterans Sports Meet’ besides a ‘Senior Citizens Complaints registration and Redressal Adalat'.
