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BARAK VALLEY ENGINEERING COLLEGE, KARIMGANJ, ASSAM

INTERNSHIP REPORT
ON

“OLD-AGE HOME”

Under the guidance of -

BELABHUMI MILANKHETRA – DEDICATED TO THE OLD-AGE PEOPLE

Duration of the internship – 3 days (11th, 12th and 13th)
The report is written under the observation of 3 days of internship

Submitted by -
Name –
-Debotri Ghosh
-Biswaraj Ghosh
Roll no. –
-212010007014
-212010007012
Department – Computer Science Engineering
Semester – 2nd
Under supervision of – Mrs. Aparna Deb

Submitted to –
The Secretary
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Belabhumi Milankhetra – Dedicated to the Old-age people

Malipara, Karimganj, Assam - 788710

CONTENTS –

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 DECLARATION
 INTRODUCTION
 ABOUT OLD-AGE HOME
 SOME STUDY FOR UNDERSTANDING THE ELDERLY
 PROBLEMS FACED BY SENIOR CITIZENS IN SOCIETY
 SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS
 SURVEY OF BELABHUMI MILANKHETRA
 CONCLUSION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT –
We take this opportunity to express our deep sense of gratitude, our whole hearted
thanks and my profound respect to all those who guided and inspired us in the
completion of this Social Internship Project Work.
We would like to give our special thanks to “Belabhumi Milankhetra” who
accepted us and gave us an opportunity to work with them and serve society.
For the constant help, valuable support and guidance, we hereby extend our
sincere thanks and gratitude to the organization guide, Mrs. Aparna Deb.
We would like to give my special thanks to all the staffs and members of the old-
age home “Belabhumi Milankhetra” for the valuable support in the successful
completion of the project.
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DECLARATION –
We, Debotri Ghosh, Biswaraj Ghosh, hereby declare that the internship report on “ Old-
age Homes” is prepared by us after the completion of our social internship done under
the supervision and guidance of Mrs. Aparna Deb, Secretary of SEBA-Help Aged Group,
Karimganj, Assam.
This report is prepared as it is the academic requirement. The details in the
report are true to the best of our knowledge.

Debotri Ghosh
Biswaraj Ghosh
3rd Semester, B.Tech
Barak Valley Engineering College
Nirala, Karimganj – 788701, Assam.

INTRODUCTION –
Social internship introduces us to the society and its challenges and create value
systems of service giving, empathy and respect for those who are less fortunate. It helps
to understand and give us a chance to look at social issues close up in which privilege,
oppression, marginalization, crisis situations and powerlessness contribute to systematic
inequalities.
We have completed our social internship in Belabhumi Milankhetra, Karimganj,
run by SEBA-A Help Aged Group. A place which which is home for many elderly people.
It gave us an opportunity to connect with old-people and to know about problems and
experiences about their lives and also the issues faced by them in the society and also
about the steps taken by the government and non-governmental organizations.
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The term “Non-governmental Organization” or NGO, came into use in 1945

because of the need for the UN to differentiate in its charter between participation
rights for intergovernmental specialized agencies and those for international
organizations.
NGOs are components of social movements within a civil society. NGOs can have an
important role in strengthening the foundations of an emergent civil society. It is hard
for NGOs not to come under any governmental influence.

ABOUT OLD-AGE HOMES –

It is a private organization, which provides home and includes facilities for meals, some
form of health or hospice care in return of a minimum amount of money, that is, on a
rental basis from themselves. It is run by a private body called SEBA-A Help Aged Group.
Its moto is to serve and help the elderly citizens.
There are certain factors for old persons in old-age homes-
o Youngsters are sometimes indignant in behavioural attitude to their parents.
o Youngsters have migrated to different places and also to numerous countries
abroad. So, they are unable to provide accommodation to their parents in their
houses even if they desire.
o Elders sometimes are too debilitated or ill to take care of themselves or get
medical help in any urgent situation.

SOME STUDY FOR UNDERSTANDING THE ELDERLY –

GERONTOLOGY –
Gerontology is the study of aging processes and individuals across the life course. It
includes : The study of physical, mental and social changes in people as they age. The
investigation of changes in society resulting from our aging population. The application
of this knowledge to policies and programs.
A gerontology is a medical professional who studies and treats conditions related
to the aging person. He or she typically works with populations of elderly patients to
understand the biological aspects of aging and the various medical and social issues
faced by older citizens.
Names of some private gerontology institutes –
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o Voluntary Health Association, West Bengal

19A Sundari Mohan Avenue.
o Calcutta Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology.
o Sunbath, plot no. 2916/5198, Jaydeep Nagar, Bhubaneswar.
o Community 8N, Sponsorship program (Central Government), New Delhi.
o Rajasthan Voluntary Health Association A/12 (B) Mahaveer Udayanpath

PROBLEMS FACED BY SENIOR CITIZENS IN SOCIETY

o Old people facing many problems in their day-to-day life. They feel increasingly
neglected as often caste away as burden by their children and thus face isolation
even while living with them. Old people at this age are surrounded by many
problems like physical problems, psychological problems and loneliness makes
them feel weak. They are more isolated due to their inability and weakness to go
socialise. They are more confined to home and also get confined by family
members due to work load. This leads to loneliness and depression.

o Older people suffer from financial problems, as after retirement from the
services, this results in loss of income and the pensions that the elderly receive
are usually inadequate to meet the cost of living which is always on the rise.
With the reduced income they are reversed from living an independent life to a
dependent one. The diagnosis and treatment of disease creates more financial
problems for old-age.

o Old age is a period of physical deterioration and social alienation in some cases,
loss of spouse, friends, job, poverty and physical appearance. In old age, physical
strength deteriorates, mental stability diminishes, financial power becomes
bleak and eyesight suffers a setback. It is a period of disappointment, dejection,
disease, repentance and loneliness.

o Old age leads to physical weakness, bones become prone to fractures and
breaks, they become prone to heart diseases, other minor ailments and chronic
diseases.

o Due to decline of mental, physical ability, they become dependent. They want to
do things on their own but are unable to do so, they experience loneliness as a
result of lack of reduced connections. They wish to be included in all kinds of
decision makings of the house as the head of the family, but due to generation
gap, the youngsters do not take the advice from their grandparents, which
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makes them feel deprived of their dignity and feel that they are not important
anymore.

o Due to increasing formation of nuclear families, joint families decreased from

19.1% to 16.1% in India. joint family offered support to the old age but this has
been taken away due to the formation of nuclear families. Many young people
are relocating themselves for better employment have to leave the family in
order to have a better future.

SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS –

Government has taken steps for the wellbeing and good care of old people and has
created a no. of old age homes. These old age homes help them with their social lives,
physical health and also mental health and help them come out of their depression and
loneliness. There are about 730 old age homes in India at present. The old age people
are helped by giving them their space for sharing their thoughts and ideas and giving
them their comfort zone.
The govt. has also taken recent initiatives to solve various problems of old
people –
o Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana (VPBY)
This scheme run by the Ministry of Finance. The Varishtha Pension
BimaYojana (VPBY) was first launched in 2003 and then relaunched in
2014. Both are social security schemes. Under the scheme a total no. of
3.16 lakh annuitants are being benefitted and the corpus amounts to Rs.
6095 Crore.

o Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVPY)

The scheme aims to protect elderly persons ages 60 years and above
against a future fall in their interest income due to the uncertain market
condition, as also to provide social security during old age. The minimum
purchase under the scheme was Rs. 1.5 lakh per family for a minimum
pension of Rs. 1000/- per month and the maximum purchase price was
Rs. 7.5 lakh per family for a maximum pension of Rs. 5000/- per month.

o The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007
This act was enacted to provide financial security, welfare and protection
for senior citizens. It requires children to provide maintenance for their
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parents, and the government to provide old age homes and ensure
medical care for citizens.

o PRANAM ( Parents Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring)

Commission, 2017
This act has made it mandatory for the State Government employees to
look after their parents. If the PRANAM Commission gets a complaint that
the parents of any State Government employee are being ignored, then
the government will deduct 10 or 15 percent of the employee’s salary
and give that amount to the parents.

BELABHUMI MILANKHETRA
Belabhumi Milankhetra is a social welfare organization which provides a care home for
aged. The trust provides a family like atmosphere where residents live in safe and
compassionate surroundings. It also provides medical, health and nutritional care, apart
from emotional support.
MISSION –
o To champion the quality of life for all Seniors.
o Belief in the Sacred Value of Human Life.

OBJECTIVES –
o To provide comprehensive and quality care and to ensure that the resident
senior citizens live with respect and dignity in secure, compassionate
surroundings and environment.
o To provide companionship, emotional support, recreation facilities and activities
to overcome social isolation.
o To provide independence to senior citizens in daily life, anfd to re-establish high
values of life nurtured by them.
ACTIVITIES –
o Independence Day Celebration –
Celebration was organized by a group called SEBA-A Help Aged Group on
15th August. A program was held where elderly people hoisted the flag
along with the secretary and other members of the group. A function was
held for cultural side. The elderly people performed recitations, songs,
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shared their views on this auspicious day. The day ended with sweets
distribution and was very well spent.

o Interaction with the inmates –

During social internship, we got to learn many things. They all wanted
was just the love, care and someone to listen to their life experiences.
Interaction with them taught me many things. They shared their life
experiences with me, we shared our college instances with them. We
talked and laughed together. Talking to them was a great feeling. They all
treated us as if their own grandchildren.

o Games –
The elderly played games like ludo. They were really enthusiastic just like
small children. Bringing a smile on their faces was our way of showing
care towards them. Their smile made our day.
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CONCLUSION –
During the Internship, we realised that our single effort towards helping seniors live
quality lives can make them happy and loved. This internship made us clear about our
responsibility towards our parents and society. We learned the skill of event
management, teamwork and leadership. This made me a better person. We were able
to understand more about elders’ problems and the way they deal with it. During our
internship period, we realised that observation is a main element which will help to get
the solution to any problem. Moreover, the project indirectly teaches us to be
independent, disciplined, patient, initiative taker and the ability to solve problems and
time management. Besides, our communication skills got improved while
communicating with others.
This internship gave us many sweet memories with senior citizens. It was a
different and great experience to spend time with the senior citizens. We would like to
say that, parents should always be loved by their children irrespective their age.
Once again, we would like to appreciate all those who made our internship a
great experience for us.