Old age homes in India are places where people who need help are cared for.
According to the Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections for India and States 2011-2036, there are nearly 138 million elderly persons in India.
What is Old Age Home?
Old age homes are residents with nursing and assisted living facilities for accommodating the elderly. Here the elderly are given continuing care and attention based on their needs and concerns. As far as our country is concerned, old age homes are still a very nascent concept. India has always taken pride in its tradition of a reciprocal familial commitment system for ages. The joint family system is one significant aspect of the Indian family.
Elders have always been seen as equivalents of gods and the culture of filial piety is one that has been deeply embedded in our culture. Traditionally, aging parents lived with their adult children.
But old-age homes are gaining more and more prominence in this fast-changing world. There has been a paradigm shift as a result of modernization, urbanization, an increase in life expectancy due to advances made in medical science, increased literacy rate and migration of younger generations. As people are more exposed to the diverse cultures in the world, there is a tendency for most to long for privacy and independence.
Why are Old Age Homes increasing?
Many are tilting towards a nuclear family concept and are eventually exploring the possibilities of escaping the responsibility of having to deal with their parents hands-on. While this is not the case everywhere, there are more grueling facts about children abandoning their elders for selfish reasons. The increasing cases of chronic diseases among the elderly are also expected to augment the growth of old age homes.
As the elders are incapable of contributing to household work or monetarily, they are often considered as a liability. As a result, they are subject to abuse and neglect and eventually in some worse case scenarios abandoned without a penny to their name. This is more prevalent amongst the underprivileged communities as money becomes a major factor. They are unable to provide for their medical care and expenses relating to the well-being of the elderly population. The abuse can be classified as physical, sexual, psychological or financial.
Statistics of Old Age Homes in India:
According to the Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections for India and States 2011-2036, there are nearly 138 million elderly persons in India in 2021 and it is further expected to increase by around 56 million elderly persons in 2031. There are 18 million homeless elderly persons in India based on the Longitudinal Ageing Survey of India 2020.
Currently, there are 728 old age homes in India. Old Age Homes in India may be both public and private homes. They provide different geriatric services in India including in-home care, hourly adult care, hospice care, palliative care, assisted living and nursing homes. These services are also based on the respective disease indications.
Condition of Old Age Homes in India:
Old Age Homes in India is still viewed with serious misgivings. However, due to the nation’s rapidly ageing elderly population and its subsequent increase in demand for long term care through Old Age Homes in India, the government has formulated various policies and schemes.
Alongside the government, there are numerous goodwill organisations working towards helping the elderly population in need. One such organisation is the Wishes and Blessings NGO, based in New Delhi. Under its Umbrella project, Care for the Elderly, the NGO has set up a series of Old Age Homes in India specifically based in Delhi.
Mann Ka Tilak is the first charitable old age home set up on 25th April 2018.
The elders are given uncompromised attention and service where facilities including housing, boarding, food, entertainment, recreation and medical facilities are provided free of cost. They are given a new lease on life and are given the dignity and respect that everyone is entitled to.
There is a serious need for deliberation and propaganda to cater for the alarming problems the senior citizens are facing. Supporting corporate and social work organizations and sensitizing the younger generation to be more mindful and responsible towards the elderly is imperative. The elderly need to be made aware of their existing rights. There is an important need for them to be empowered and their contribution needs to be endorsed at all levels be it the family, society, and the nation at large.
As the saying goes, “To forget the elderly is to ignore the wisdom of the years”, let us consider the elderly in our lives as assets. We should take stock of the problems the elderly are facing and support the entities that work tirelessly towards the service of the senior citizens. One step at a time and no help is too small.
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