Is India equipped to deal with the rise in its elderly population?

In Focus by The Hindu

Last week, on June 15, the world marked Elder Abuse Awareness Day. How well are senior citizens in India doing? A report that was released by the NGO HelpAge India reveals that a large majority of them are not doing very well – their study conducted across 20 cities in 10 States surveying over 5,000 elderly citizens found that nearly 65% reported that they were not financially secure. Over half of those surveyed suffered from two or more non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension and at least 7% admitted to being victims of abuse.

India’s demography is changing – while senior citizens now constitute around 10% of the population – this number is expected to touch 20% by 2050.

Family continues to play the role of primary caregiver, but also faces challenges, physically and financially. What happens if the family is from another city or country?

While India has launched programmes such as the National Programme for the Healthcare of the Elderly and has enacted legislation like the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, implementation on the ground remains.

Are the current social security nets sufficient to take care of senior citizens? Does the health infrastructure need to focus on geriatric care? How can their financial challenges be addressed? And how can the country work towards providing comprehensive care for our elderly population?

Guest: Anupama Datta, Head, Policy Research and Advocacy, HelpAge India

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Edited by Jude Francis Weston