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ShareNetworking, health care, news, services and a lot more is out there in virtual space. Suparna Thombare checks out some websites created just for you
www.seniorindian.com
This website has good intentions -- to cover everything, from social and legalissues to health matters. But it fails to deliver. The career section has tips on how to face interviews and what kind of jobs to look for. But there's nothing very specific or useful. It has a job listing section which had nothing listed when we clicked on it.
The concessions and benefits section should be useful to many but it is far from comprehensive. There are some sections which pass muster -- mental health, tips on getting air ticket concessions, making your will, learning how to send an e-mail, and surfing the internet.
Health has been given more emphasis than other sections with some good features on diabetes, blood pressure, heart care, obesity, insulin resistance, anti-oxidants, stretching exercises and news updates. There is also a links section that takes you to a variety of foreign websites for seniors.
Our verdict: Too stodgy. Also, the site tries to cover too much ground and fails to do a good job.
www.india.gov.in
This central government website has a small section called the senior corner. It gives you information on services provided by the government. The health care section has sub-sections on ailments and their treatment, a list of hospitals, all about medical insurance schemes, and government health schemes.
It also gives information on air, train and ship travel concessions and loans for financing such trips. The sections on housing facilities, old-age homes, recreational and educational centres, and financial incentives are good. If you are confused and don't know where to begin, click on the FAQs section -- it has information on maintenance of Parents and Senior Citizens Bill, 2007, income tax, safety and legal issues etc.
Our verdict: No-frills site packed with practical information on policies, concessions and Acts that concern senior citizens.
www.harmonyindia.org
Harmony for Silvers Foundation's website is the most senior-friendly Indian site on the web. It has some well-written articles picked from Harmony on subjects that seniors would relate to.
The special features section is interesting. It touches on topics like retirement resorts and has photo features on seniors like dancer C Gopinathan Pillah. The health section is one of the best with some useful and in-depth features written by experts. Regular book reviews and a section on second careers are some add-ons we liked.
The best part about the site is the interactivity and the community feel -- you can make friends,interact and network with other seniors. Also, the interactive section can keep you abreast with the events at the Harmony Interactive Centre.
What it lacks is hard-core information about health-care and services, but probably it wasn't supposed to go into that territory.
Our verdict: Well-designed, accessible, informative.
www.helpageindia.org
This has the usual pieces on reverse mortgage, income tax planning, making a will, etc. But we found very few sections
really useful or interactive. It mostly deals with Helpage and what it does and how you can help. It has a section on senior blogs. We tried clicking on it to see what was being discussed, but you have to be a member to access the link. The best section on this page probably is the one on home remedies which incorporate little things you can do at home for common cold, constipation, fever, etc.
Some of the links take ages to open. Also, the website gets updated after long intervals.
Our verdict: Nice design, well-written text, not too high on the usefulness quotient.
www.dignityfoundation.com
This website tells you all would want to know about Dignity Foundation, but nothing much about coping with ageing. It does touch on some subjects like dementia and loneliness while explaining the projects undertaken by the foundation. Your takeaway from this website is information in the facilities, projects and achievements of the foundation. One good link was the Dignity Dialogue magazine. Another link can get you in touch with the cultural activities of the foundation.
Another section that should get many clicks is on government I-cards. You can fill up an online form and apply for your I-card here, since Dignity officially registers I-cards for seniors.
Our verdict: It's all about Dignity.
www.geriatricsindia.com
This is a search-based website. You can search the internet for any topics under the senior citizens category. Apart from that, it provides links to foreign websites dealing with mental and physical elderly health, elderly dating, psychogeriatric journal and treatment and diagnosis.
Our verdict: Resourceful.
