Letter To Editor | India’s Elderly

According to the United Nations report, “India Ageing Report 2023”, the share of the elderly population – people above 60 years – will reach 20.8% of the total population at the national level by 2050, compared with 10.1% in 2021. Increasing longevity and falling fertility have resulted in a dramatic increase in the population of adults aged 60 and above in India, resulting in complex health, social, and economic challenges, to which this diverse and heterogeneous country must rapidly adapt. Ageing issues being multi-disciplinary in nature, no single-disciplinary focus can give a holistic understanding of the same. Therefore, approaches to understand these issues from a multi and inter-disciplinary perspective need to be initiated. Studies on nutritional aspects, impact of migration on the elderly, strengthening community-based institutions, and family support systems should receive greater attention so as to enhance the quality of life of the elderly people. To successfully address these challenges, it requires complex and ambitious changes and innovations in health, fiscal and social policies.

Across the world, elderly persons are largely dependent on their family members, but sadly find themselves at the receiving end in the sunset years of their life. In the good olden days elders in families were respected a lot due to their wisdom and wealth of life experience. With changing times, sadly they are seen as millstones and neglected by their own family members. We need to reform our approach towards elderly persons by bringing care closer to where they live, and where it costs less to deliver and does more good. Acknowledging seniors’ contributions will help to make ours a more age-inclusive society that does not pit one generation against the other. Also, the central government must bring needful policies and programmes to socially protect the elders of our country. Ranganathan Sivakumar

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