ELDERLY CARE – SOCIAL ISSUE
News: Caring for the old: On the United Nations Population Fund’s India Ageing Report 2023
What's in the news?
● A good part of the world’s population is growing older and India mirrors this trend as well. The reality, according to the United Nations Population Fund’s India Ageing Report 2023, is that the population above 60 years will double from 10.5% or 14.9 crore (as on July 1, 2022) to 20.8% or 34.7 crore by 2050.
Key takeaways:
Positive side of ageing:
● With one in five individuals set to be a senior citizen, there will be implications for health, economy and society. In Kerala and West Bengal for instance, there is a growing population of the elderly who live alone as children migrate for better opportunities.
● With life expectancy increasing, thanks to better ways to fight disease and decreasing fertility rates in many countries, including India, there are challenges in nurturing an expanding elderly population.
Negatives of ageing:
● Within this macro phenomenon, there are myriad other data of importance. For instance, women elderly citizens outnumber their male counterparts.
● At 60 years, a person in India may expect to live another 18.3 years, which is higher in the case of women at 19 years compared to men at 17.5 years. If women in India, where labour force participation is low at 24%, do not have economic and social security, they will become more vulnerable in old age.
Interstate variations:
● There are also significant inter-State variations. Most States in the south reported a higher share of the elderly population than the national average in 2021, a gap that is expected to widen by 2036.
● While States with higher fertility rates, such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, expect to see an increase in the share of the elderly population too by 2036, the level will remain lower than the Indian average.
● Overall, more than two-fifths of the elderly are in the poorest wealth quintile — ranging from 5% in Punjab to 47% in Chhattisgarh; also, 18.7% of the elderly do not have any income.
Causes for rising elderly population:
● Decline in the fertility rate.
● Rise in life expectancy.
● An increase in longevity increases the average age of the population by increasing the numbers of surviving older people.
Challenges faced by elderly:
1. Medical Problems:
● Senior citizens are more prone to physical illness.
● Besides, they are more likely to be victims of poor mental health.
● Lack of adequate age-sensitive public health services to meet the health needs of senior citizens.
2. Economic Problems:
● A majority of the elderly population are in the informal sector, where they do not receive any social security benefits such as pensions etc.
● Lack of adequate income results in difficulties in meeting basic needs such as food, shelter, health and transportation.
3. Social Problems:
● Older people suffer social losses greatly with age.
● Their social life is narrowed down by a loss of work, death of relatives, friends etc.
● With age, a common complaint of many elderly is the feeling of loneliness and sense of being isolated.
4. Psychological Problems:
● The common psychological problems that most of the senior citizen's experiences are
○ Feeling of powerlessness
○ Feeling of inferiority
○ Depression
○ Uselessness
○ Reduced competence
○ Housing Problems.
● The housing available to a majority of the senior citizens may be found inappropriate and unsuitable to their requirement.
Significance of elderly population:
● Elderly peoples carry an immense experience of their personal and professional life, society at large needs to channelise those experiences for a better tomorrow.
● They can provide a vital generational link for the upcoming generation, such as providing support and stability to families and society at large.
● Grandparents in joint families provide a crucial link for transferring values and morals to the younger generation. Thereby contributing towards bringing up better human beings and responsible citizens.
● Acknowledging a senior's contributions would help to make ours a more age-inclusive society that does not pit one generation against the other.
● Their deep cultural impressions and social experiences provide the necessary buffer against intolerance, violence and hate crimes.
Government Schemes:
1. Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Scheme:
● This is one of the most popular senior citizen pension schemes in India.
● Designed for senior citizens above 60 years of age, the policy term of this Prime Minister Senior Citizen Scheme extends to ten years.
● The pensioner can earn interest of 8% per annum over this scheme.
● The minimum and maximum capping of pension are Rs. 3,000 per month and 10,000 per month, respectively.
2. National Programme for the Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE):
● Introduced in 2010, this scheme concentrates on preventive as well as promotive care for the maintenance of overall health.
● This program was launched to address the health issues faced by seniors.
● The district-level objectives include providing dedicated health facilities in district hospitals, community health centres (CHC), primary health centres (PHC), and sub-centres (SC) levels through State Health Society.
● These facilities may be free or highly subsidized.
3. Varistha Mediclaim Policy:
● This policy aids seniors by covering the cost of medicines, blood, ambulance charges, and other diagnosis related charges.
● Designed for senior citizens between the age of 60 and 80 years, this helps meet the health-related expenses of senior citizens.
● Income tax benefits are allowed for payment of premium.
● Although the policy period is for one year, you can extend the renewal up to the age of 90 years.
4. Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana:
● This scheme provides physical aids and assisted-living devices to the elderly above 60 years of age that belong to the BPL (below the poverty line) category.
● If senior citizens wish to avail this, then they must have a BPL card.
● This is a Central Sector Scheme and is entirely funded by the Central Government.
5. Varishta Pension Bima Yojana:
● This pension scheme, launched by the Ministry of Finance, is for senior citizens above 60 years.
● The LIC of India has the authority to operate this scheme.
● Any Medical check-ups are not necessary to avail this policy.
● It offers an assured pension with a guaranteed interest rate of 8% per annum for up to 10 years.
6. Vayoshreshtha Samman:
● This scheme focuses on those seniors who have made significant contributions in their disciplines and recognized their efforts.
● It was upgraded to the National Award in 2013, and since then, awards have been granted below thirteen categories.
7. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007:
● To ensure need-based maintenance for parents and senior citizens and their welfare.
● It provides for
○ Maintenance of Parents/ senior citizens by children/ relatives made obligatory and justiciable through Tribunals.
○ Revocation of transfer of property by senior citizens in case of negligence by relatives.
○ Penal provision for the abandonment of senior citizens.
○ Establishment of Old Age Homes for Indigent Senior Citizens.
○ Protection of life and property of senior citizens.
○ Adequate medical facilities for Senior Citizens.
WAY FORWARD:
● Ensure the inclusion of target beneficiaries.
● Establish an autonomous National Social Security organization.
● Develop a social security investment plan with innovative financing mechanisms.
● Focus on public awareness.
● Consider Universal Health Coverage as part of social security.
● Bring Legislative and legal reforms.
● Establish code on social security and welfare.
● Adopt Assam model at National level: Assam Employees PRANAM Act, under which each government employee is Compelled to Contribute 10% of his/her Salary towards taking Care of his/her parents.
● Since Independence, life expectancy has shown considerable improvement. But these added years are dominated by declines in physical and mental capacities. Therefore, the need of the hour is to take an integrative approach to align the needs of elderly as well as older adults in programmes and policies.
● Stronger partnerships between civil society, community and families are necessary to complement the actions taken by Governments in this regard.
● Increased investments, political will and addressing gaps in data and statistics are also important.
● The adoption of the 2002 Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing will provide a roadmap for addressing challenges of an ageing society and realization of human rights of older persons.
Old age is a stage of life that every human being ultimately reaches and it is inevitable. In this time people dread old age but the youth should be aiming to create a world where people do not fear old age but look forward to it as a phase of vacation where they can enjoy and have their loved ones to care for them. This aim can be achieved through collaborative efforts of all stakeholders in general and the society in particular.