Key Points
Not all of Indias seniors need 24-hour care, but ageing does limit activity and energy levels, and they need assistance with chores as simple as regular doctor visits, managing household help, or buying groceries..
Indians are living longer, but lack enabling social support for the elderly and palliative care options for those with illnesses, both of which would ease burdens on the young and old..
Palliative care, unfortunately, is seen as end-of-life care in India, while it is actually an essential service to reduce suffering and improve the quality of life of people living with life-limiting diseases, ranging from arthritis, diabetes and kidney disease to chronic respiratory and heart disorders and curable cancers..
The long road we need to traverse involves taking a more accommodative approach to palliative care, softening attitudes of resistance to assisted-living facilities for the elderly, and accepting that ageing could be done smoothly if we only knew how..
A strong social security and pension system that upholds the right to a life of dignity; robust public-private support services for senior citizens that provide both physical and emotional assistance; encouragement and training for those taking up careers in geriatric care, gerontology and allied fields; general guidance for households at large; and a carefully crafted palliative and elderly care policy will go a long way towards helping Indias aged live well, even as women caregivers get more time to pursue careers..
