Helping the elderly lead a life of dignity

Hyderabad: World Senior Citizens Day is celebrated to honour the elderly. The event in India is celebrated in various states in the form of several activities undertaken by groups of people. Concerned authorities take necessary steps to ensure elders receive the benefits they must, from the schemes.

City-based Elders Clubs International Foundation (ECIF), an NGO, extends various benefits to senior citizens on a weekly basis. With a membership of just Rs 100 a year, the foundation has been organising various activities for elders across the twin cities every week.

The organisation also organizes skill development and training program every third Sunday so that they could find a job and earn a decent income along with this training sessions on how to use a mobile phone to operate Whatsapp, watch YouTube videos, and other such activities.

Krishna Reddy, the managing trustee of ECIF, said, "The club accepts elders from the age of 50 to 100 and above and we are helping them to live their life with dignity. We started the club in 2010, and now we have a branch in every city with 92 lakh members across India and around 5,000 members from Hyderabad and Secunderabad."

"The club also ensures accommodation and food to the elders who don't have a family or is left by their family along with cremation arrangements for those elders who do not have their near ones at the time of death with contributing by the club members, they pay homage and the body will be cremated with full honors," added Reddy.

For those who want to enjoy the festivities with other fellow elders and visit new places, the club offers excursions, sightseeing, visiting historical places, religious places, in national and international tour plans. This apart, elders can also take part in indoor and outdoor games, yoga, walking, jogging, exercises, gym, and meditation.