Ageing Population - socio Economic challenges

According to the Census 2011, India has 10.8 million senior citizens (above 60 years of age). This number is expected to increase substantially in the coming years with a rise in the life expectancy to 65 years from 42 years in 1960. In fact, it is predicted that between the years 2000 and 2050, the population of India will grow by 55%. However, the population above 60 years and 80 years will grow by 326% and 700% respectively. The percentage of elderly people, classified as those above 60 years of age, is expected to go up in India from 8% in 2015 to 19 % in 2050. When populations age rapidly, governments are often unprepared to mitigate the consequences, this has implications for the socio-economic and health status of the elderly. Ensuring the welfare of senior citizens will therefore assume even greater importance in the future given the projected shift in demographic patterns.

Challenges of Ageing in India

• Migration and its Impact on the Elderly: Due to the migration of the younger people, elderly are left living alone or only with the spouse. They face social isolation, poverty and distress.
• Loopholes of Healthcare: The health system is ill-equipped to deal with surging NCDs; nor is the staff well trained to treat/advise the aged suffering from dementia or frailty, and for early diagnosis and management of conditions such as hypertension. The quality of medical care is abysmal, and hospitalisation costs are exorbitant and impoverishing.
• Impact of social disharmony: The proportion of those suffering from NCDs living in villages that experienced inter-caste or other conflicts has more than doubled during 2005-2012. Lack of social harmony induces helplessness, disruption of medical supplies and network support.
•Digital Illiteracy - Due to inability of older family members to understand the modern digital language of communication and more demanding lifestyle, there is lack of communication between elderly and younger members. They also feel difficulty in getting benefits under schemes which are being digitized.
• Feminization of Ageing: Currently all the states have higher life expectancies at old ages for women than for men (sex ratio among elderly- 1033 women to 1000 males in 2011). Outcome of feminization of ageing is the discrimination and neglect experienced by women as they age, often exacerbated by widowhood
and complete dependence on others.
• Ruralization of the Elderly: According to 2011 Census, 71 percent of the elderly live in rural India. Income insecurity, lack of adequate access to quality health care and isolation are more acute for the rural elderly than their urban counterparts. It is also noted that poorer states such as Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
have a larger percentage of the rural elderly.

However despite the challenges,government is determined to provide safe,accessible,fair,equitable and just environment for the elderly. The National Policy on Elder Person, National Policy on Senior Citizen 2011, National Council for Senior Citizen. Even the health issues are being tackled by schemes like National Rural Health Mission,National Programme of Health Care for Elderly (NPHCE) during 2010-11. Bridging intergenerational gap should be emphasised on to reduce social isolation and augment social cohesion.

By: ABHISHEK KUMAR GARG