Age Gracefully



  • Ageing is a continuous, irreversible, universal process, which starts from conception till the death of an individual.
  • Universal Process

India is facing several challenges



in the form of weak economic growth, weak pension system

People worldwide are living

longer compared to earlier

Age Gracefully

Ageing is a continuous, irreversible, universal process, which starts from conception till the death of an individual. However, the age at which one’s productive contribution declines and one tends to be economically dependent can probably be treated as the onset of the aged stage of life. National Elderly Policy defines person of 60+ age group as elderly.

India is facing several challenges in the form of weak economic growth, weak pension system, and null infrastructure for ageing people, and above all lack of political will makes life miserable for the senior citizens in India. Problems of aging usually appear after the age of 60 years.

People worldwide are living longer compared to earlier. Today, for the first time in history, most people can expect to live into their sixties and beyond and by 2050, the world’s population aged 60 years and older is expected to total 2 billion, up from 900 million in 2015. Today, 125 million people are aged 80 years or older. By 2050, there will be almost this many (120 million) living in China alone, and 434 million people in this age group worldwide. By 2050, 80% of all older people will live in low and middle-income countries. Life expectancy is going-up year on year.

Life expectancy at birth

Among the challenges which India faces, UNPF report says the feminization of ageing remained a key one. The sex ratio of the elderly has increased from 938 women to 1,000 men in 1971 to 1,033 in 2011 and is projected to increase to 1,060 by 2026. The report also noted that between 2000 and 2050, the population of age 80-plus people would have grown 700% “with a predominance of widowed and highly dependent very old women” and so the special needs of such old women would need significant focus of policy and programmes.

Source: Bloom & Luca, 2016





Proportion of elderly population

Among the challenges which India faces, UNPF report says the feminization of ageing remained a key one. The sex ratio of the elderly has increased from 938 women to 1,000 men in 1971 to 1,033 in 2011 and is projected to increase to 1,060 by 2026. The report also noted that between 2000 and 2050, the population of age 80-plus people would have grown 700% “with a predominance of widowed and highly dependent very old women” and so the special needs of such old women would need significant focus of policy and programmes.

Source: Bloom & Luca, 2016


Population figures on ageing

Age division of Indian population (0-14) is 30.8%, (15-59) is 60.3%, (60+) is 8.6%. According to Population Census 2011, there are nearly 104 million elderly persons in India. It has increased from 5.5% in 1951 to 8.6% in 2011. Projected a rise upto 19% in 2050. As regards rural and urban areas, more than 73 million persons i.e. 71% of elderly population resides in rural areas while 31 million or 29% of elderly population are in urban area.



Feminization of ageing

Among the challenges which India faces, UNPF report says the feminization of ageing remained a key one. The sex ratio of the elderly has increased from 938 women to 1,000 men in 1971 to 1,033 in 2011 and is projected to increase to 1,060 by 2026. The report also noted that between 2000 and 2050, the population of age 80-plus people would have grown 700% “with a predominance of widowed and highly dependent very old women” and so the special needs of such old women would need significant focus of policy and programmes.

Problems associated with old age

Social

Financial

Health

Social

  • Our society is undergoing rapid transformation under the impact of industrialization, urbanization,
  • technological change, education and globalization.
  • Consequently, the traditional values and institutions are in the process of erosion and adaptation, resulting
  • in the weakening of inter-generational ties that were the hallmark of the traditional family.
  • Industrialization has replaced the simple family production units by the mass production and the factory.
  • Negligence by children towards their old parents.
  • Disillusionment due to retirement.
  • Feeling of powerlessness, loneliness, uselessness and isolation in elderly, and
  • Generational gap.

Financial

  • Retirement and dependence of elderly on their child for basic necessity.
  • Sudden increase in out of pocket expenses on treatment.
  • Migration of young working-age persons from rural area have negative impacts on the elderly,
  • living alone or with only the spouse usually poverty and distress.
  • Insufficient housing facility.

Health

  • Multiple disabilities among the elders in old age.
  • Health issues like blindness, locomotor disabilities and deafness are
  • most prevalent.
  • Mental illness arising from senility and neurosis.
  • Absence of geriatric care facilities at hospitals in rural area.
  • Similar to acute conditions and chronic diseases also increase with age.
  • Sixty-four percent of elderly suffer from any one of the chronic ailments like
  • hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, cataract,cardiovascular conditions,dementia and asthma.
  • More than half of elderly had some form of psychological distress – using GHQ 12-point scale.
  • Mental health vulnerabilities increase with advance in ageing, particularly in old-old group.
  • Disabilities – 61.8 per 1000 elderly among 60+ persons, which increases to 84.1 per 1000 among 80+ persons
  • Cost of treatment impose a burden on the family at the absence of insurance or limited social security
  • measures in India. Older persons living in rural areas are more compared to urban areas and hence,
  • a concentrated effort is required to ameliorate the sufferings of senior citizens.



Proportion of older adults living in rural areas

How can one age gracefully?

There are multiple ways of gracefully ageing.

  • 1) Restrict intake of extra calorie
  • 2) Have a good food Style
  • 3) Exercise regularly
  • 4) Raise immunity and
  • 5) Treat deficiency.

However, majority of senior citizens in India cannot afford this.

It is our endeavor to help the elderly. Elderly must be given a new task periodically, encourage social movements, Yoga and Meditation and prevent age associated complications like depression, neurological complications etc.,

It is our endeavor to help the elderly. Elderly must be given a new task periodically, encourage social movements, Yoga and Meditation and prevent age associated complications like depression, neurological complications etc.,

SNEHA has been working in the field of elderly since its inception. Numerous medical camps have been organized for the elderly and many cataract operations have been conducted.

Age Gracefully is an initiative taken up by SNEHA.





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