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9
elderly
problems of the
(Problems of Aged)

we will learn:
In this chapter
elderly?
Who are the
people in India
Major problems of elderly
welfare of the elderly
welfare of the elderly
efforts for the
Evaluation of government
the elderly
Suggestions for the welfare of

where old age

any society in the world where the elderly do not live,
There will not be
when the number of elderly people starts increasing in
has not become a problem. But
necessary to study
society and old age becomes a curse, then it becomes absolutely
a
the elderly. In the last few years, there has been a huge change in the
the problems of
entire world. The report of the 'Centre
demographic structure not only of India but of the
Socio-Economic Department of the United
for Social Research under the aegis of the
people in the world are above 60
Nations states that at present 1.23 out of every 10
the number of elderly women is more than that of
years of age. It is clear fromn the population statistics that
elderly men all over the world.
years of age. This figure
In the year 2020, 72.7 crore people in the world are above 65
16% of the total
is expected to reach 150 crores by the year 2050. This could be up to
population of the
world population. Six countries remain the centers of more than half the
world's oldest people - China, India, Germany, Japan, America and Russia. According to
'United Nations Global Action and Aging-2019, the number of elderly people in India
and China is increasing at the rate of 4.4%, while the world average is 2.6%. The average
age of people in lndia was 25 years 100 years ago, which has now increased to 70
years and the death rate has decreased from 25 to 7.27 per thousand. As a result, there

is one old man for every 12 Indians.

 Hindi ’ English
problemsofintellect elderly
in termsof
world
country inthe
the secondlargest
todaybecome
rdra has
According to the report of the Center for Social Research, if the increase in the elderly population

continues at the same pace, then by 2021 there will be 13 crore

in India
80 lakh people in the country, which is 9% of the total population. 80 lakh people in
India have completed 80 years of age. There are 2.9 crore elderly people who are above 70
years of age and the number of elderly people who are above 60 years of age is 7.7
crore i.e. about 15% of the total Indian population. If people between 55 years to 60 years are
also included in the category of old people, then this number becomes approximately 25%.
The increasing number of elderly people, changing social environment and family structure are
making the life of the elderly difficult. Statistics show that 64% of elderly women and 46% of
elderly men in urban areas are completely dependent on others to fulfill their basic needs.
There is no need to mention here that a large number of elderly people are forced to
live in old age homes. The reality is that 60% of the elderly people in the age group of
60 to 70 years are ill-treated at home. There are currently 1,018 old age homes in
the country. Of these, there are more than 150 in which the elderly have to pay fees for
living. 427 old age homes for men, 371 for sick senior citizens and 118 old
age homes for old women are free. Certainly, this number of old age homes is not sufficient in
proportion to the ever increasing number of elderly people. The reality is that there has been substantial
improvement in India's health services since independence, due to which the average
age has increased. The number of elderly people will almost triple in the next 4
decades. In
the coming days, many types of problems will increase for the elderly regarding
security,
housing, health and entertainment.
As the pace of industrial development has
intensified, the process of social displacement
has also intensified. Due to the more rapid
development of cities compared to villages, migration
from villages to cities has increased. Its biggest impact has
been on joint families.
In the process of disintegration of joint families, the
elderly were
marginalized. The condition of
those elderly people in the family who are dependent
only on agriculture is even more
pathetic. Decrease in birth rate, changing nature of marriage,
increase in divorce,
late marriage, migration to foreign countries,
prevalence of nuclear family, all
these are the reasons which have made the living of the
elderly an area of study in sociology. By
denying the experience, knowledge and skills of the elders in most nuclear
The
families.
materialistic environment has been considered more important.
Today, nuclear families
are becoming individual-centric social units, due to which the
relevance of the elderly is decreasing.
 Hindi English
104
y people.
It is happening. The new generation does not have enough time left to
peacefully with their parents once a day and talk to them, to know sit
about their
pain and suffering and their needs. In these
nuclear families, the generation
gap between the new generation and the elderly is also
continuously increasing Not
only this, old people living alone are also the target of anti-social and
criminal
elements. In metros and big cities, not only are old people living alone in their
homes being robbed and murdered, but they are also being looted on the streets
and killed when they protest..
Who are the elderly?
(Who is Aged)
Generally, when a person turns 65 years of age, he is called an elderly
person. After getting retirement at the age of 60, a person gradually starts moving
towards old age and his body starts becoming weak. His power to hear,
see, understand and move gets weakened. He needs support and social
security.old age The main symptoms are
wrinkles on face,
loose skin,
hair color being white or grey,
hair fall,
hearing loss,
loss of vision,
memory loss,
Region of diseases in the body.
Attacks of bone diseases like osteoarthritis etc.
Major problems of elderly people in India
(Major Problems of Aged in India)
Old age was once considered the wealth of experience. Elders were respected in the
society. His words carried weight and his words were listened to. The weight is
stillthere, but the younger generation considers the elders as a burden and their
words as nonsense. They face neglect and abuse in the family and society. The children on
whom the elders spend their time and money, they want to get rid of when they
grow up. Poverty, loneliness and various types of diseases are making old age hellish. The weak
and helpless evening of life is sobbing. Those who have given their blood and sweat for

the prosperity of their family, who do not care about happiness and sorrow, there is
no place for them in the family. Knocked on the doors of old age homes to get rid of
them
 Hindi English
elderly
problemsofthe
.
Let's go. What could be a bigger irony than this that neither the society nor the government
relatives

and the system are sensitive towards the elderly.

In the year 2020-21, the Corona virus epidemic wreaked havoc all over the
world, but there are thousands of examples of how strangers came forward to
help each other. On the contrary, such painful pictures of how greedy or insensitive relatives
left their elders to fend for themselves also came before the media and society.
Mahendra Kaur, 80, from Punjab, accompaeu by her two sons, was rescued from
the pit in a critical condition on 14 August 2020. 85-year-old Gurdeep Kaur was
confined to a small cage-like room in Amritsar even though there were nine members in her
family. The video of an 82-year-old woman from Sonipat being beaten by her 34
year-old daughter-in-law went viral on social media. Starting helpline services in many states
with the aim of providing justice to senior women isa commendable step.
The National Center of Elder Abuse has told about various types of elder
abuse that happen to the elderly. These are- neglect and self-neglect physical abuse
Abandonment and lonelinessEmotional abuse and mental illness Financial crisis
(1) Neglect and harassment -About 5% of the elderly have admitted in a
survey that they have faced neglect and harassment. Elderly. The feeling of loneliness is
more common among elderly women and old people living in rural areas. Many
women lose their support when they lose their partner in old age and are
left with no source of income.
While discussing the situation of elderly citizens in India in 'Elder Abuse in
India, WHO Country Report-2020, it has been mentioned that due to insult, neglect,
abuse and harassment, most of the elderly people have started considering old age asa
disease. According to an estimate, only 1 in 6 cases of physical and mental abuse against
the elderly are reported, that is, about 84% of the cases remain buried within the
walls of their homes, whereas out of about 8 crore elderly people, 40% are In
some way or the other, they are victims of the atrocities of their children.
According to the survey of Elder Abuse in India, 2020, the 3 states
with highest neglect of elders are- Bihar, Karnataka and West Bengal. elders, children
And self-esteem gets hurt due to bad behavior by other members. Elderly people
become mentally and physically weaker due to inappropriate address, not allowing
them to meet people of their age, destroying property, not providing timely food
and treatment, etc. (2) lness and weakness - In old age, every old man wants his
children to stay with him and serve him. But this is not happening. In old age, there is
a need for better nutrition and medical facilities and fulfillment of these needs
Hindi ’ English
There is warmth among the
elderly
1106
numberof
It is not possible for elderly people to always do it themselves. The
crore.'Elder
elderly people in India who need health services is more than 2.7
Abortion in India, WHO Country Report-2002' states that one out of every 1elderly
throughout his
suffers from some disease and needs medical assistance poor vision
weakness, anemia, diabetes, anemia,
life. Common diseases of old age are
body and upset
and hearing, respiratory diseases, pain in the
stomach, etc.
destroys the
(3) Loneliness-Loneliness is a social problem which age. Every old
effects are more severe in old
lives of even the youth. Its adverse
taught to walk holding my finger,
man wants that the children whom I entertain me in
my grandchildren should
made their career, married, those children and
life of materialism, children do not
have time to
my old age. But in this hectic do homework
with grandchildren, take tuitions,
earn money and go to school
television. The
and watch
elders of the house are
room.
put in aseparate
What's more, their
participation in festivals
and celebrations is
stopped. According to
WHO
'Elder Abuse in India,
Country Report-2002',
elderly
the number of loneliness of old age
people living with
loneliness is 10%.
various types of
suffering from mental weakness and
(4) The elderly body so that the elderly
can get
solace, care and support,
physical diseases needs the family members of an elderly person
is necessary for
mental peace. For this, it elderly are forced to live alone.
of the
the timne, but 10% depression for the
to stay with him all matter of mental
becomes a
This loneliness often from the report show that out of
1,000
India... Data
elderly. 'Elder Abuse in
mentally ill. immensely to
elderly people, 89 are person who loves his children
is natural for a
(5) Financial crisis: It high level
Such people educate their children in
age.
face financial crisis in his old throughout their life.
education
with good and nutritious
schools/colleges, providing them
 Hindi English
problemsofthe

They provide food, dress them in nice and expensive clothes and provide
opportunities for employment and do not shy away from paying huge bribes for the children
in this era of corruption. In sucha situation, it is certain that such people would have
accumulated a lot of capital in their old age. But they are shameless children, who say
that whatever you did for us, it was your duty. Such old people face the problem of
making ends meet. The 'Elder Abuse in India' report states that 64% of elderly women
and 46% of elderly men in urban areas of India are completely dependent on others
for food, clothing and health. Only 11% of the people have some form of income after
retirement, the dependence of the remaining old people on their children increases.
Apart from the above, amajor problem of old age is to establish harmony with
family and society. At this stage, the elderly people want their level of participation in
family and society to increase, so that they can get the opportunity to make good use
of their free time and can stay away from loneliness and other problems.
But the young members of the family and children cannot see the elderly among
them. Due to this, the problem of iritability starts arising in the elderly and harmony
between the family and the elderly almost ends.

welfare of the elderly

(Welfare of Aged)
ANational Policy for the welfare of the elderly in India was announced in January
1999. Under this policy, the responsibility of taking care of the elderly was placed on their
families. In this policy, it was said that voluntary and non-governmental organizations
should also be empowered. Besides, 'National Council for the Elderly' was also formed
at the government level, but in practice, it has been seen that all these efforts have been
unjustified in the context of safety of the elderly.
On March 20, 2008, the'Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior
Citizens Bill, 2007 was passed in the Lok Sabha. In this bill also, the responsibility of
taking care of the elderly has been entrusted to the family members. Besides, in this
billthestate governments have also been directed to open 'Old Age Homes' in every
district. Under this bill, arrangements have been made to provide such legal
rights to the elderly, so that they can live their lives in a comfortable and normal
manner. The Billincludes provisions for maintenance of elderly parents, i.e. food,
shelter, clothing and medical care, as well as other appropriate care.
Along with these provisions in this bill, state governments have also been instructed
to constitute 'Maintenance Tribunals. This has given parents the right to
file a suit to demand maintenar:-- ~llauanna from their children.
 108

Major schemes related to social justice and empowerment

Many schemes have been started by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
of Haryana Government, which are described as follows
(1) Old Age Samman Allowance Scheme -The Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment of Haryana Government has started the Old Age Samman Allowance Scheme,
under this scheme those families whose annual income is less than Rs 2,00,000, whose
income is less than Rs. Under this, elderly people of 60 years of age or above are
included. Haryana is the first state where Pendra is regularly given to old people,
widows and destitute people on the 7th of every month. The state government under
this scheme. From November 2017, the amount of allowance was increased to
Rs 1,800 per month. It has been again increased to Rs 2,000 from November 2018.
(2) Widow Pension Scheme-This scheme has been started by the state government
with the aim of providing security and financial assistance to widows and destitute women. Under
this scheme, financial assistance of Rs 750 per month is provided to women aged 18
years and above. The pension amount has been increased from Rs 1,400 to Rs 1,800 with effect

from November 2017. The benefit of this pension scheme is available only
to those widowed women whose annual income is less than Rs 2,00,00.
(3) Widower Pension Scheme - Like Widow Pension by Haryana
Government,
Widower Pension Scheme was announced by the Chief Minister in the budget of the
year 2017-18. Under this scheme, those
widowers whose wife has died will get pension.
Under this scheme, widowers will be given a monthly pension of Rs
1,600. Haryana
is the first state in the country to
implement Widow Pension Scheme.
(4) Thari Pension, Yare Pass Scheme -
This scheme was launched by
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in
This is a social security scheme. Chandigarh on August 4, 2015.
Under this scheme, pension
their pension directly in their bank beneficiaries are provided
account, due to which the role of
has been eliminated. intermediary
(5) Monthly pension to
freedom fighters: On August 15, 2012, the
government has increased the freedom fighter
widows from Rs 15,000 per month to pension given to freedom fighters and their
fixed medical Rs 20,000 per
allowance 750 per month.
of Rs month, which includes
(6) Teerth Darshan Scheme- This
of Haryana on April 1,2017, under scheme was started by the Tourism
age will be able to go on
which senior citizens of
Haryana
Department
pilgrimage GUUUIIUy at
above 60 years of
government expense. various party elections
 Hindi ’ English V
problems of the elderly
In the 100
manifestos, they make various kinds of promises to win over
this class in their favor. A
large part of the budget of Europe and
America is spent on the welfare of the
elderly. In various countries of
America, Canada,
common citizens has crossed 80 years due to Europe and Asia, the average age of
availability of best medical
countries, there has been an increased awareness regarding providing social services. In these
security to the elderly.
Suggestions for the
Welfare
We
of Aged
have understand that the elderly have
to
but we have considered them immense wealth of experience
useless and have separated them from social
Keep in mind that a nation that respects its capital.
senior citizens invests social capital
for a bright future. If we want to shape our
future, we have to be sensitive
towards senior citizens. The thinking of the
younger generation that the elderly become
powerless due to the deficiencies that come with increasing age is also
a wrong concept. The power of old age is
very special. Old age, full of experience and
patience, can prove beneficial for any nation.
Therefore, we need to respect old
age and make good use of it. Some
this direction
suggestions are presented in
(1) The people of India should focus on
building the future of their children, but
should save enough capital and capacity to support themselves in old age.
(2) Our youth also need to remember that the faith of our
parents is connected to us in the same way that our faith is
connected to
our children.
(3) There is a need to open old age homes in
sufficient quantity in the country so that the neglected
old people can live their lives with dignity in these old age homes.
(4) The Central Government, in collaboration with the State Governments, will promote such small and cottage industries on a large scale.

Start industries in which the elderly can work. This will not only keep the body of the elderly
healthy, but they will also remain the earning
members of the household. (5) If a child tortures his parents, then such parents
should take strict action against their children using Maintenance and Welfare
of Parents and Senior Citizens Bill 2007'. When children are selfish then
what is the use of selflessness of parents?
(6) With the help of NGOs, the government can encourage the youth to serve
the elderly by making a scheme to honor children who serve their parents throughout
their lives. Promotion of serving people should be linked to the service
of parents or other dependent elderly people of the society.