There are two inescapable factors facing the world in this century - global ageing and technological innovation. These two factors were clearly on a path towards convergence as technology becomes more advanced in its ability to help older people live their later years to the fullest.
The issues relating to the senior citizens were discussed at a three-day International Conference on Ageing in Asia in Hyderabad from February 16 to 18. The conference was organized by Heritage Hospital and was attended by more than 500 people fully and partly. There were several speakers from foreign countries, including USA, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong and Nepal.
Inaugurating the conference, N Janardhan Reddy, Minister for Panchayat Raj, Andhra Pradesh, called for the creation of a separate department to take care of the issues related to the elderly population at the national level. While planning a policy, focus should be on quality of life covering legal, security, social protection and healthcare. While providing healthcare and social security, the role of NGOs was essential and their efforts should be encouraged, he said. The migration of young people for jobs had made the elderly more vulnerable, the Minister said.
Several international think tanks have identified the upcoming global ageing crisis as the issue of the 21st century. In 2000, there were 600 million people aged 60 and above, that number will climb to a staggering 1.2 billion by 2025 and then to 2 billion by the year 2050. People are living longer with more chronic conditions. Interestingly, the goal of healthcare services is not to cure these individuals, but to help them maintain their independence and a high level of functioning and quality of life.
The discoveries in gene-based and regenerative medicines are likely to extend longevity even further and enhance the quality of later life. All these will necessitate new work patterns and increasingly significant roles for older people.
Vijay Rama Rao, Civil Supplies Minister, also said that considering the changes that were taking place in the traditional society, care for the aged had become one of the crucial issues and it was essential to establish a separate department to take care of the social welfare of the elderly. He said if that was difficult, the Department of Women and Child Welfare could be given the additional responsibility by including the elderly under its purview.
He said though the traditional habit of caring for the elderly still existed in India, there was need to strengthen the institution of family which was the safety net of the elderly and children.
Quality of health depended on the economic conditions of the care-givers. It also depended on the facilities available at hospitals. Considering the demographic changes taking place, there was a need to think about institutionalised medical care for the senior citizens, he said.
Dr Mohan Ram, Indian Institute of Health and Family Welfare, said in this new millennium, care for the aged was a challenging task for all and the government, NGOs, CBOs and donors should take active part besides the family/care givers.
Dr S D Gokhale, former president, International Federation on Ageing, Pune, said in the present context 'Feminisation of ageing' was a major issue in gerontology that required special attention. Feminisation of ageing means female mortality declines faster than male mortality. Longevity would have bigger impact on Asian societies, especially on China and India.
Under the system of globalisation, it was essential to explore a new system to provide social security to the ageing population. Retirement by age or by social or physical capacity should be debated, he said.