The share of the population in India over the age of 60 is projected to increase from 8% in 2015 to 19% in 2050. By the turn of the century, senior citizens are expected to touch about 34% of the total population. Additionally, life expectancy is also increasing across all Indian states, with this increase being more for women than for men.
This country is going to see a greater presence of the ageing population everywhere, be it airports, rail stations, buses, cinema theatres, shopping malls, restaurants and so on. We already see plenty of wheelchair-bound elderly in our airports as they travel from one city to another.
Old, vulnerable and frail persons, dependent on others for their daily needs, are routinely abused, neglected, and exploited worldwide and India is no exception. The perpetrators are generally family members, relatives, friends, or trusted caregivers.
What are the reasons for this increasing exploitation?
Rapidly Increasing Population of Senior Citizens
During 2000–2050, the total population of India is expected to grow by 56%. During the same time, the 60-plus population is expected to grow by 326% and 80-plus by 700%. This would be predominantly widows and highly dependent senior women.
Living Situation of Senior Citizens
Senior citizens prefer to live in their own homes as they wish to be part of the community they lived in for long. Nearly 66% of the 60-plus are currently married, 32% are widowed and nearly 3% separated or divorced. The proportion of older persons living alone without a spouse has increased over time from 2.4% in 1992/93 to 5% in 2004/2014. The majority of the elderly are still living with their children despite nuclear families being on the rise. Those living alone or only with their spouse have to manage their material and physical needs on their own. In our country, the proportion of elderly who live alone is the highest in Tamil Nadu at 13.7%. In the United States, 80% of all care to elders is provided by family members.
Higher Disability Rates
The 2011 census reported a disability rate of 51.8 per 1000 for all the elderly and 84.1 per 1000 for the 80-plus population. In the general population, the disability rate was only 22.1 per 1,000. Prevalence of acute morbidity among the age group 60–69 years was 30% while among the 80-plus group it was 37%. These figures demonstrate the dependence of the elderly on others despite their preference to stay alone.
Income Insecurity
Income insecurity is a significant source of vulnerability among older women. More than four out of five women have either no personal income at all or very little income; income insecurity increases with advancing age. Only a small percentage of senior women reporting no income receives a social pension.
Declining functional abilities – such as feeding, bathing, dressing, mobility, use of toilet and continence- combined with the resulting dependence on others is among the key causes for increasing vulnerability among the elderly. Limitations to perform these functions indicate the care burden in any society.
The society has to take of this trend and every family member has to understand his/her responsibility to ensure sustaining an acceptable quality of life of elderly whose longevity is increasing.
— Dr K R. Gangadharan, Founder – Heritage Foundation India