Senior Living In Kerala: A Glimmer Of Hope For The Silver Economy

India celebrates its demographic dividend with more than 40% of its population below the age of 25 years.

- Rajesh Nair

By emphasizing holistic care, integration of traditional values, affordability, and fostering social ties, Kerala is shaping an ecosystem that respects and cherishes its aging population. Rajesh Nair Partner, Ernst & Young LLP

This portends a future that has hope and unlimited possibilities for the country and also estimates of GDP twenty-five years into the future are super optimistic, to say the least, and rightly so. We could achieve anything to everything by harnessing the energy and creativity of this population and all public policies need to gear up to facilitate these. We say the Western and some of the other Asian economies like China cannot keep up because the percentage of the aging population is high, they are currently not actively contributing to the work economy and also require demanding healthcare investments.

Kerala is aligned to these developed countries in the percentage of aging population - which is approximately 20% of Kerala's population are above 60 years old- this is high in comparison to the below 10% nationally. This number will further shoot up significantly with the increased life expectancy. Elder care is a critical activity and is more than just healthcare support. The increasing incidence of geriatric maladies like dementia, Parkinson's, and incontinence not only affects their well-being but also that of the broad working population since there needs to be attention and diversion of resources to elder care. Additionally, in a close society like Kerala, there is still the stigma of leaving parents in retirement homes and such institutions and it is often understood as neglecting children and society who are not focused on assisted living but assisted dying.