Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Let the Senior Citizens live with dignity' that was published in Newsband

Let the Senior Citizens live with dignity

There is an urgent necessity to meet the needs of the elderly in India. India already has the world’s second largest population of the elderly, defined as those above 60 years of age. This 104-million-strong cohort continues to expand at an accelerating pace. It is projected that approximately 20% of Indians will be elderly by 2050.

There is need to provide proper health and social care to this section since they have been found insufficient. There is a need for re-gearing the health-care system toward “preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative aspects of health”. Proper social attitudes toward ageing can help the elderly enjoy a life of stability and dignity.

The ground realities faced by the elderly include abandonment by their families, destitution and homelessness, inability to access quality health care, low levels of institutional support, and the loneliness and depression associated with separation from their families. Many among the younger generation within the workforce are left with less time, energy and willingness to care for their parents, or they simply emigrate abroad and are unable to do so, senior citizens are increasingly having to turn to other arrangements.

No doubt advancement in medical management and diagnostic tools are meant to enhance the lives of elderly population across the globe. But there is still great need for them to enjoy sense of well-beings, quality of life, isolation, adequate financial status, priorities in states incentives and members of family support, psychosocial support so that they lead their life in dignified and respectable manner. It is also foremost duty of elderly population to shower their love, affection and due guidance for betterment of society.

There are limitations to what the governments could do for the senior citizens. First it is in the hands of the elders themselves to provide for their post retirement lives by diligently saving during earning years for 20-25 years of living after retirement. Next comes the immediate family members - their own children - who must take responsibility to provide emotional and financial support to their parents in their old age if they could not keep them with themselves for any reason. The government for its part should provide facilities like subsidized healthcare and transport particularly to the needy and help them find accommodation closer to where their blood relatives live, if possible. When it can levy cess for everything else, why not think of a similar cess to fund the facilities for the deserving elderly citizens in India? This problem will manifest itself in another three decades when the population of elders zoom impacting revenue generation and it is time government wakes up!