Page 22 - Seniors Today -Volume no1
P. 22

Toolkit



        Seeking their


        place in the sun






        The issues related to ageing are numerous and have to be tackled by society with un-
        derstanding, resolve, and above all, empathy, writes Sonavi Kher Desai





                                                                    “Grow old along with me! The best is
                  Issues related to ageing have to be tackled by
                  society as a whole                                yet to be.” These inspiring words of the
                                                                    poet Robert Browning would resonate
                                                                    with many seniors today. More and
                                                                    more seniors – people over 60 years of
                                                                    age – are looking at ageing successfully
                                                                    by keeping themselves healthy, fit, and
                                                                    more active. However, there are several
                                                                    challenges that senior citizens have to
                                                                    confront as they get older.


                                                                    According to the World Health
                                                                    Organization, approximately 12 per cent
                                                                    of the world’s population is over 60 years
                                                                    old and this figure would be 22 per cent
                                                                    by 2050. In India, says a report released
                                                                    by the Ministry of Statistics in 2016,
                                                                    citizens over the age of 60 account for 8.6
                                                                    per cent of the total population – a jump
                                                                    of a whopping 35.5 per cent in 10 years.


                                                                    In the last 100 years, the global average
                                                                    life expectancy has more than doubled
                                                                    and is now about 70 years. A rapid
                                                                    advance in medical science and access
                                                                    to medical facilities and treatments have
                                                                    increased the longevity of human beings.
                                                                    In addition to this, economic well-being
                                                                    and a fall in birth rates in many parts of
                                                                    the world have contributed to a growing
                                                                    senior population.


                                                                    In India, the growth in elderly
                                                                    population has been more than the
                                                                    growth in general population leading


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