PREVENTION OF ELDER ABUSE NEEDS ALL-SOCIETY APPROACH

S India is greying at a faster clip, it is witnessing a worrying rise in the abuse of elders.

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S India is greying at a faster clip, it is witnessing a worrying rise in the abuse of elders. A recent study across 10 states showed an almost two-thirds rise in the mistreatment of this vulnerable population in a year, with own families emerging as the biggest perpetrators. The data revealed the pains of growing old in a society that is uncaring of those it considers unfit and financially dependent. This harsh reality is also reflected in the sharp rise in distress calls to the elders’ helpline in India’s tech capital, Bengaluru—up from 735 in 2024-25 to 1,172 in 2025-26. Yet this is only a part of the picture as elder abuse mostly goes unreported, with stigma a strong deterrent.