Gender and Age: We need a female perspective on ageing populations
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Gender and Age: We need a female perspective on ageing populations

Live Mint  

A recent news story in a prominent US daily reported that a number of non-profits in Washington DC are distributing robotic pets to residents aged 60 and older in some areas of the city to ease their loneliness and isolation. Apart from affecting macroeconomic factors such as the labour force, physical and human capital, savings and consumption, an ageing population also poses serious challenges to a country’s healthcare system. Over 2 million people in England over the age of 75 live alone, and more than a million older people say they go over a month without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member. Further, they face greater disadvantages of ‘multiple forms of inequality’ throughout their lifespan, being mostly in unpaid informal work with limited or no access to social protection, income security or savings, and are more likely to be poor, widowed, living alone and suffering worse health. In India, an exploratory research study among older women residents of a care home in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, noted that they “encounter tremendous hardship in their twilight years as they fight against the twin challenges of patriarchy and vulnerability, and factors like family, caste, class, education, marital status, economic independence, religion, and region, exacerbate their vulnerabilities."

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History of this topic

The overlooked struggles of single older women need urgent attention
1 week, 6 days ago

The overlooked struggles of single older women need urgent attention

The Hindu  

In India, single older women bear a disproportionate burden of marginalisation, a reality that is frequently ignored in public discourse and policymaking. Existing gaps in policy responses and research Despite programmes aimed at supporting India’s ageing population, including the National Policy for Older Persons, Old Age Pension Schemes, National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly and Elderline: National Helpline …

India’s Elderly Care Crisis: Healthcare Costs, Digital Divide, and Policy Gaps Affect 153M Senior Citizens
4 months, 1 week ago

India’s Elderly Care Crisis: Healthcare Costs, Digital Divide, and Policy Gaps Affect 153M Senior Citizens

The Hindu  

Published : Nov 19, 2024 18:12 IST - 7 MINS READ “I still use checkbooks at the bank and don’t own credit cards, debit cards, or any net banking app,” says R. Sampathkumar, an octogenarian from Chennai. An Observer Research Foundation paper published in September 2024, titled “Caring for the Elderly: Need for a Sensitive Approach”, states that “40 per …

As India Grows Older, a Secret Shame Emerges: Elders Abandoned by Their Children
8 months ago

As India Grows Older, a Secret Shame Emerges: Elders Abandoned by Their Children

Deccan Chronicle  

Garhmukteshwar: They were found in gutters, on streets, in bushes. “They say, ‘He’ll come back one day,’” says Saurabh Bhagat, the 35-year-old leader of SHEOWS, the organization his father founded. Though most who are taken in by SHEOWS come from New Delhi’s streets and spend time in one of the organization’s city shelters, in time most end up here, at …

India's elderly population expected to double by 2050: UNFPA
8 months, 1 week ago

India's elderly population expected to double by 2050: UNFPA

Hindustan Times  

The elderly population of India is expected to double by 2050, according to United Nations Population Fund India chief Andrea Wojnar. India's elderly population is expected to double by 2050, UNFPA India chief Andrea Wojnar said, stressing that more investment in healthcare, housing and pensions is needed She added that this will necessitate more investment in healthcare, housing and pensions, …

Elderly population in India expected to double by 2050: UNFPA India chief
8 months, 1 week ago

Elderly population in India expected to double by 2050: UNFPA India chief

The Hindu  

India's elderly population is expected to double by 2050, UNFPA India chief Andrea Wojnar said, stressing that more investment in healthcare, housing and pensions is needed, especially for older women who are "more likely to live alone and face poverty". In an interview with PTI given days after the World Population Day on July 11, Resident Representative for UNFPA India, …

Demography and its discontents
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Demography and its discontents

Hindustan Times  

India does not have an official population number after 2011. India is believed to have become the world’s most populous country sometime between January and July 2023 / AFP PHOTO / ARUN SANKAR A country’s demographics, of course, do not wait for official data. The World Population Prospects report released by the United Nations — it is the most authoritative …

India’s demographic journey of hits and misses
8 months, 3 weeks ago

India’s demographic journey of hits and misses

The Hindu  

As we observe World Population Day on July 11, there is much to look at in India’s demographic journey over the decades. With 2030, the target year, drawing closer, India’s progress in the SDGs should be understood particularly in light of its population dynamics. India’s population dynamics Three components, namely fertility, mortality, and migration, play a pivotal role in shaping …

Is India equipped to deal with the rise in its elderly population? | In Focus podcast
9 months, 1 week ago

Is India equipped to deal with the rise in its elderly population? | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

Last week, on June 15, the world marked Elder Abuse Awareness Day. A report that was released by the NGO HelpAge India reveals that a large majority of them are not doing very well – their study conducted across 20 cities in 10 States surveying over 5,000 elderly citizens found that nearly 65% reported that they were not financially secure. …

Elders are ailing, alone and without the means to support themselves, finds Helpage India study
9 months, 1 week ago

Elders are ailing, alone and without the means to support themselves, finds Helpage India study

The Hindu  

A study by HelpAge India of a cross-section of elders across the country found that only 15% of them had a source of income. As many as 1,333 caregivers, aged 18 to 49 years, providing general, social, and emotional care to these elderly respondents were also surveyed. “To ensure adequate representation of both genders and older age groups, the entire …

India’s demographic dividend will eventually dwindle: ADB
10 months, 4 weeks ago

India’s demographic dividend will eventually dwindle: ADB

Live Mint  

Tbilisi, Georgia: Ageing population is turning out to be a challenge for developing Asia and the Pacific and it could reduce the demographic dividend of countries with younger population such as India and Indonesia, over the coming years, the Asian Development Bank said in a report released here on Thursday. The ADB report titled Aging Well in Asia: Asian Development …

India's ageing population: Why it matters more than ever
1 year, 3 months ago

India's ageing population: Why it matters more than ever

Hindustan Times  

The world’s population is living longer and growing older. Notably, the Government of India has made positive strides with its forward looking and inclusive policies, programmes, and schemes such as the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly, the National Social Assistance Programme, the Maintenance and Welfare of Senior Citizens Act, 2007 and the Bill, Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana’, …

Why India should worry about its ageing population
1 year, 5 months ago

Why India should worry about its ageing population

The Hindu  

India’s policymakers have long flaunted the massive economic benefits that the country will reap from its huge youth population. An ageing population, many economists believe, could turn out to mean serious economic trouble unless India manages to grow its economy at a rapid pace in the coming decades. In a report released late last month, the United Nations estimated that …

The loneliness of the elderly in India
1 year, 5 months ago

The loneliness of the elderly in India

Live Mint  

Baghban has just turned 20. Though Soni said he heard there was a spike in parents taking out insurance for themselves after the film released, I sometimes feel Baghban turned the conversation around ageing into a full-fledged nostalgia trip for the long-lost extended family. “It’s just that now you blame modernity and globalisation.” In popular culture, the elderly are either …

Caring for the old: The Hindu Editorial on the United Nations Population Fund’s India Ageing Report 2023
1 year, 6 months ago

Caring for the old: The Hindu Editorial on the United Nations Population Fund’s India Ageing Report 2023

The Hindu  

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 to 20.8% or 34.7 crore by 2050. With life expectancy increasing, thanks to better ways to …

India to lose its demographic edge by 2046, elderly to outnumber youth: UN
1 year, 6 months ago

India to lose its demographic edge by 2046, elderly to outnumber youth: UN

Firstpost  

The UN report said women will live longer than men, due to which the number of older women will be more than older men. A large number of them will be rural women India will turn into a “rapidly ageing society,” a new report by UN said, stating that by 2046, the share of elderly in India’s population will be …

India ageing, elderly to make up 20% of population by 2050: UNFPA report
1 year, 6 months ago

India ageing, elderly to make up 20% of population by 2050: UNFPA report

The Hindu  

With the decadal growth rate of the elderly population of India currently estimated to be at 41%, and the percentage of elderly population in the country projected to double to over 20% of total population by 2050, the United Nations Population Fund, India in its 2023 India Ageing Report has said that by 2046 it is likely that elderly population …

India’s older women face the brunt of exclusion: HelpAge India survey
1 year, 9 months ago

India’s older women face the brunt of exclusion: HelpAge India survey

The Hindu  

India’s older women are facing the brunt of exclusion and are increasingly becoming victims of abuse, a survey ahead of the UN-recognised World Elder Abuse Awareness Day has revealed. It highlights the unpreparedness and dependency of older women starkly, with high illiteracy levels, low financial security, lack of awareness on redressal mechanisms and beneficiary schemes, and lack of employment opportunities …

Data | With poor pension rates and high health costs, is India ready for the next demographic phase?
2 years, 8 months ago

Data | With poor pension rates and high health costs, is India ready for the next demographic phase?

The Hindu  

In the next 80 years, India’s demographic structure is expected to change, with the share of the working population declining and the share of dependent residents increasing. Click to remove AMP mode State-wise share The graph depicts the % of the projected population in 2036 in the 15-59 age-group and in the 60+ age group across States. In 2036, the …

India’s Ageing Population Has More Women but Systemic Inequality Will Hurt Them More than Men
3 years, 2 months ago

India’s Ageing Population Has More Women but Systemic Inequality Will Hurt Them More than Men

News 18  

India has nearly 67% of its population in the 15 to 64 years age group. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey 2019-20, women’s labour force participation rate was lower than men in all the age groups. Lower lifetime earnings due to the pervasive gender wage gap imply that even the small percentage of women who receive wages for their …

As covid-19 rages on, the elderly in India battle loneliness
3 years, 11 months ago

As covid-19 rages on, the elderly in India battle loneliness

Live Mint  

For 72-year-old Rehana Sarin her two-bedroom flat in a Noida high-rise has been her "world" since her husband passed away 15 years ago, but she has never felt more lonely and secluded before as in the months following the covid-19 outbreak. The situation for elderly couples is no different from those staying alone, and Rajesh Singh, 66, who has been …

Number of India’s elderly to triple by 2050
4 years, 2 months ago

Number of India’s elderly to triple by 2050

The Hindu  

There will be over 319 million elderly by 2050, threefold the number identified by the Census in 2011, according to the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India. While 75% of them suffer from one or the other chronic disease, 40% have one or the other disability and 20% have issues related to mental health, said the report prepared by the International …

Is India on the cusp of a gender revolution?
4 years, 8 months ago

Is India on the cusp of a gender revolution?

Live Mint  

India presents a complex gender paradox to most observers. Women in higher income groups were much more likely to be averse to the idea of marriage than men. Women were also more likely to prefer love marriages, and marriages outside their caste, religion and income level, compared to men. The survey shows that women are more likely to have close …

Bring seniors back into policy discourse
5 years, 4 months ago

Bring seniors back into policy discourse

Deccan Chronicle  

In the public discourse of India there is an invisible — the elderly and the infirm. As per the Population Census of 2011 there are nearly 10.4 crore elderly persons in India; 5.3 crore females and 5.1 crore males. According to a report released by the United Nations Population Fund and Help Age India, the number of elderly persons is …

A civilisational duty to care for the elderly
5 years, 5 months ago

A civilisational duty to care for the elderly

The Hindu  

As is true of most joint families, our grandparents were cared for, and consulted by, their children and loved and respected by their grandchildren. Nuclear families, growing life expectancy, the generation gap, changes in the value system, adoption of Western ways of life, migration for better opportunities, and the increased participation of women in the workforce have marginalised the elderly …

Economic Survey warns of India’s ageing population, says retirement age should rise
5 years, 8 months ago

Economic Survey warns of India’s ageing population, says retirement age should rise

Live Mint  

New Delhi: India’s booming population is set to coming to a grinding halt over the next two decades, as the country witnesses a sharp slowdown in population growth, the Economic Survey 2018-2019 revealed on Thursday. “Demographic projections show that India’s population growth will continue to slow rapidly over the next two decades, growing less than 1% during 2021-31 and under …

The Grey Factor
6 years, 2 months ago

The Grey Factor

Firstpost  

Within three decades, India will be a country of old women and men. “During the same period, the population of 80-plus persons will grow 700 per cent with a predominance of widowed and highly dependent very old women,” it says. “The problem is not the elderly, but there are fewer young people to take care of them,” says Professor KS …

India is no country for older women
6 years, 7 months ago

India is no country for older women

Hindustan Times  

The surroundings are salubrious. The gender disparities faced by women get exacerbated in old age since the woman often has no income or assets and is completely dependent on her family. There are government schemes meant to help older people like the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna with its insurance programme but few older women are even aware of it. In …

43% of elderly Indians are facing psychological issues: study
7 years, 8 months ago

43% of elderly Indians are facing psychological issues: study

Live Mint  

New Delhi: 43 out of 100 elderly people in India are victims of psychological problems due to loneliness and other relationship issues, a new study has said. Based on the feedback from 50,000 older persons across the country during the months of June and July this year, the study, by the Agewell Foundation, revealed that almost half of the elderly …

Ageing with dignity
8 years, 1 month ago

Ageing with dignity

The Hindu  

While India’s celebrated demographic dividend has for decades underpinned its rapid economic progress, a countervailing force may offset some of the gains from having a relatively young population: rapid ageing at the top end of the scale. Experts also caution that as the proportional size of the elderly population expands, there is likely to be a shift in the disease …

Challenge of ageing with dignity
8 years, 1 month ago

Challenge of ageing with dignity

The Hindu  

The New Life Home for senior citizens in Krishnagiri is a refuge for those among the elderly who have run out of options in life. Among them, senior citizens fortunate enough to have worked in the organised sector receive pension and other retirement benefits after retiring at between 60 and 65 years of age, yet for the others the only …

Seventy and surviving
8 years, 7 months ago

Seventy and surviving

The Hindu  

THIS month India celebrates its 70th Independence Day. Between 2001 and 2011, the total population of India increased by 17.7 per cent, but the number of citizens over the age of 60 increased at around double that rate, by 35.5 per cent. In 2011, the Census of India found that the number of people in the age of 70 years …

Ageing India: South India Oldest, Northeast Youngest
8 years, 10 months ago

Ageing India: South India Oldest, Northeast Youngest

India TV News  

India has long been described as a nation of young people—and that is true—but the country’s elderly population grew 27 million between 2001 and 2011, the largest increase over a decade, according to latest government data. In 2011, there were 52.8 million elderly women and 51.1 million elderly men, indicating improving healthcare for women over the past 20 years. While …

Number of elderly rises, more so in villages: Report
8 years, 11 months ago

Number of elderly rises, more so in villages: Report

India TV News  

New Delhi: The population of elderly persons, above 60 years, have increased substantially with most of them residing in villages, says a government report. It said 71 per cent of elderly population resides in villages while 29 per cent is in cities. The ‘Elderly in India 2016’ report by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said: “Prevalence of heart diseases …

Alone and ageing in India: Here’s how to reach out and help our elders
8 years, 11 months ago

Alone and ageing in India: Here’s how to reach out and help our elders

Hindustan Times  

Sultan Jahan Salik, 88, lives alone in her ground-floor flat in the Park Circus area of Kolkata. “With the rapidly changing social structure, the study will provide valuable data on the health needs and issues faced by older persons, and help us draw policy tools to address these issues,” says BP Sharma, secretary, Ministry of Health. “Whether we need more …

State of the elderly
10 years ago

State of the elderly

The Hindu  

INDIA has 100 million persons above the age of 60, according to “State of the elderly in India: 2014”, a report brought out by HelpAge India. The report serves to highlight the dichotomy between an apparently happy picture of increased longevity and the reality of long years of hopelessness without family, society or state support, which the elderly in India …

Ageing alone: Isolation and loneliness await growing number of men
10 years, 5 months ago

Ageing alone: Isolation and loneliness await growing number of men

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Britain’s men are facing a future blighted by rising levels …

U.N. Report: Neglecting the elders
12 years ago

U.N. Report: Neglecting the elders

The Hindu  

THE elderly in India number around 90 million, over 30 million of whom live alone. By 2050, India is likely to have 315 million elderly people, who will constitute 20 per cent of the total population. The study found that an overwhelming number of the elderly, even those above 80 years of age, were forced to work: over 39 per …

Young India turning to ageing hearts, says survey
12 years, 6 months ago

Young India turning to ageing hearts, says survey

India TV News  

New Delhi, Oct 1: Though India boasts of its young population, a survey by a UN panel has indicated that the country has around 90 million ageing people and the figure is expected to touch a whopping 315 million by 2050. "India has around 90 million elders at present and the number is expected to increase to a whopping 315 …

India to be a youngest nation by 2020
13 years ago

India to be a youngest nation by 2020

The Hindu  

India will be one of the youngest nations by 2020 and this changing demographic condition, while providing great opportunities, could pose some challenges too, the Economic Survey 2011-12 has said. According to the Human Development Report published by the United Nations Development Programme, India is still in the ‘medium human development' category, while countries such as China, Sri Lanka, Thailand, …

Population ageing: an area of darkness
14 years, 6 months ago

Population ageing: an area of darkness

The Hindu  

Population ageing has emerged as the grand challenge of this century; for policymakers, care providers and society as a whole. The proportion of the elderly in the total population also rose from 5.63 per cent in 1961 to 6.58 per cent in 1991 and to 7.5 per cent in 2001. Discussions among civil society groups and concerned senior citizens in …

India: No Country For Old People?
14 years, 8 months ago

India: No Country For Old People?

NPR  

India: No Country For Old People? Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of Bishan Samaddar Courtesy of Bishan Samaddar Stories about India these days tend to focus on the new India -- young, dynamic and with a rising GDP. "Anybody dies today, the body will be kept in the mortuary for two to three days with all the ice, because …

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