Elderly people in the district shared a slew of concerns over healthcare, safety and personal needs before the Kerala State Elderly Commission (KSEC) which was formed in the State last year.
Over 150 people representing senior citizen forums and voluntary organisations put together their concerns and suggestions at a hearing held by the KSEC at the civil station here on Friday (January 10, 2026). The commission organised the gathering as part of a State-wide exercise to collect suggestions to fix its priorities, officials said.
Concerns over healthcare and insurance coverage were among the key topics of discussion at the meet. While some retired government employees highlighted restrictions in the government’s Medical Insurance Scheme for State Employees and Pensioners (MEDISEP), those who relying on private insurers invited the panel’s attention to the exorbitant premiums and called for regulations. Calls were also made to fix flaws in the Vayoraksha scheme, an initiative of the State government to provide emergency aid and support to senior citizens during crises, sources said.
The need to set up government-backed dementia care centres in all districts and to increase the capacity of the one in Ernakulam district was also raised. Some elders complained that a few banks were refusing to offer loans to senior citizens despite their repayment capacity.
Representatives of organisations that run care homes pointed to the difficulties in running the facilities with the funds allotted by the government. “At present, only ₹1,100 is allocated for a resident to meet the expenses of food, clothes, and medicine. That is not sufficient,” a representative said.
Care home managers also called for a mechanism to ensure that patients at such facilities, including destitutes taken there by the police, were given relaxations in hospital bills. “Patients from such facilities often may not have proper ID proof. They are denied due concessions. A request has come up to address the matter,” an official said.
A suggestion to appoint young volunteers at local levels to help elders living alone was also raised at the meeting. It was also pointed out that a toll-free number – 14567 – set up for senior citizens to seek help during emergency situations was not working properly of late. The representatives also called for conducting an elderly people survey immediately.
“Denial of due benefits to the elderly, negligence by children, and lapse of funds meant for elderly care in local bodies were among the larger issues brought up by stakeholders. The complaints and suggestions will be compiled to set our priorities and chalk out a working plan,” KSEC chairperson K. Somaprasad said.
KSEC member K.N.K. Namboothiri, financial officer Prince, and District Social Justice Officer K.J. John Joshy were among those present at the meet.
Published – January 10, 2026 09:49 pm IST
