Background

Aging is an unavoidable natural reality that entails its own challenges that one has to grapple with. As per the 2011 census, 8.4% of India’s population is constituted by the elderly and is expected to witness an exponential rise to 13.1% by 2031 (Government of India, 2011). Of the elderly population, about 5% deal with mobility problems, 20% with mental health problems, and old Indians are also a high-risk group for multiple morbidities (The Economic Times). The increase in longevity, within the context of declining joint families and lack of support and caregiving spaces, renders elderly individuals further vulnerable. Concerns such as mobility problems are accentuated by limited access to healthcare facilities, and this is where an effective intervention to aid elderly folks in their everyday lives becomes necessary. 

For a safe society, it is imperative to ensure that it is safe for everyone, particularly vulnerable individuals and communities. Often, the elderly live in conditions that do not necessarily facilitate a healthy and dignified way of living. These disparities stem from the fissures in ethics of care within our society and larger fault lines within healthcare policies, such as lack of access and concerns about affordability. To make the world around accessible for the elderly, there is a need for awareness to be raised among the younger generations, along with effective interventions in the daily routines of geriatrics to provide adequate support that caters to their specific individual needs. These improvements in individual lives and communities can be enabled through effective interventions in providing effective healthcare and age care, livelihoods, and meaningful advocacy and awareness. 

Thus, an active understanding of the shifting demographic within India’s landscape and the concomitant need to work towards making the ecosystem for the elderly better provides The Greater Good Initiative with the driving force to work against the fissures and faultlines of today.