Senior citizens belonging to the Parsi community have a reason to smile. The newly-elected Parsi Panchayat members have promised to put issues related to the elderly in their community to the top of their agenda.
“Nearly a third of the Parsi population in Mumbai is aged and lonely. Housing is a huge problem for such Parsis. Our baugs are deceptive. They seem large but in reality, the rooms are small and large families have to make do with the space they have,” said Arnavaz Mistry (59), who got the highest number of votes (1,029) in the elections. Parsis from as far as Canada and New Zealand have requested the Panchayat to work for the elderly. Mumbai is home to around 39,000 of the world’s 64,000 Parsis. At the JJ Hospital Parsi ward, 79 applicants are waiting to fill 45 beds and more keep coming in every month, according to senior medical officer Dr Mohan Warang. “The patients here, aged 70 to 90, suffer from psychosomatic ailments like dementia, amnesia and Alzheimer’s,” said Warang.
The Panchayat also plans to address the shortage of housing in the community. “Most problems raised in the community are like arrows shot in the dark. uncle We lack concerete information on the community, which would give us a clearer picture of the seriousness of the problems being raised,” said Jimmy Mistry (37), the youngest Panchayat member.
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