40% elderly don’t have any source of income: HelpAge India report
The economic condition of the elderly is poor and high illiteracy levels have made the situation even worse, says the report
About 40% of the elderly don’t have any source of income, reveals HelpAge India’s report. The economic condition of the elderly is poor and high illiteracy levels have made the situation even worse. Report showed that nearly 40% of the illiterate elderly don’t access to any income source.
This fact was highlighted at an event held at the Social Work department, Lucknow University and jointly organised by HelpAge India on the eve of ‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’ (June 15) in which HelpAge India released its National 2024 Report – ‘Aging in India: Exploring preparedness and response to care challenges’.
The study was conducted in 20 Tier I and Tier II cities across 10 states. It surveyed 5,169 elderly and 1,333 primary family members of the caregiver. The survey was conducted among SEC B and C categories (socio-economic classes). The report highlights the ‘unpreparedness and inadequacy’ that the elderly face in terms of access and awareness to basic services across multiple sectors to live a dignified life.
The report highlights the lack of age-related preparedness, especially among the ‘missing middle’, who are not covered under most government schemes and have modest savings for their later years. The ecosystem is not developed enough to meet their needs of care, health, financial and digital inclusion. Hence, we urgently need to customize programmes and services specifically for the elderly, especially the underprivileged.
Majority of elderly persons (79%) visited government hospitals/clinics/PHCs in the last one year. Nearly half (47%) of the super senior citizens, i.e. above 80 years, who visited these government hospitals/clinics had no personal income.
Family caregivers faced their own challenges, with about 29% of caregivers reporting physical challenges in caring for the elderly person, while 32% also reported facing financial challenges in caring for the elderly.
“The family plays a vital role in caring for individuals, being their primary caregiver, but there is a need for investment in community-based systems and platforms (e.g. senior citizen associations, elderly-self-help groups, active ageing centres) to enable them to live old age safely in their homes and in connected communities for as long as possible.”
Awareness of elderly health care facilities was low, only 15%. However, those who used these facilities were happy with the services.
Hariom, principal secretary, Social Welfare department, vice chancellor, LU Prof Alok Kumar Rai, Shyam Pal Singh, president of Senior Citizens’ General Council, Anoop Pant, State Head, HelpAge India, UP and others were present.
Hariom appreciated HelpAge India’s continuous efforts and expressed his gratitude towards the cause of elderly welfare. Sharing his experiences from his 2002 book ‘Phoolon Ka Parcham’, he emphasized the importance of creating support for the elderly, giving examples of the impact of such initiatives on communities.
He recommended collaborative efforts between the government and NGOs and highlighted the wealth of experience of the individuals concerned to bring about meaningful change. He suggested that the retirement age be increased to 70 years, saying that the experience that elderly persons have has the potential to make significant contributions to society.
