Redefining Elderly Care

Holistic and multi-disciplinary healthcare approaches are an urgent need to tackle complex challenges posed by an increasing elderly population and ensure effective social and economic development.

- Usha Sharma

Safeguarding the golden years

Japan, the country with the highest number of old people, is also home to 117-year old Nabi Tajima of Japan, now the oldest living person in the world whose age has been documented. He took over this slot from Violet Brown, another 117-year-old from Japan who died recently, on September 15, 2017. Yet, we have a contender from India as well. Almost a year back, Swami Sivananda from Varanasi claimed to be 120 years old and was in the process of applying for the Guinness World Record. Thus, lifespans in India too have increased significantly and thereby so has the number of older people in the country.

According to United Nations estimates, India has the largest youth population, but a report released by the Ministry of Statistics also reveals that the number of citizens over the age of 60 jumped 35.5 per cent — from 7.6 crores in 2001 to 10.3 crores in 2011.

The growing number of senior citizens in India have also created the need for healthcare methods which are suited for this population. Speaking in his personal capacity, As Utkarsh Palnitkar Partner and Head, Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare, Life Sciences KPMG India points out, “India's population is expected to grow from 1.32 billion in 2016 to 1.51 billion by 2030, an increase of 14 per cent. This is likely to, in turn, lead to a growing elderly population (aged 60 years above) which is projected to rise from 121 million in 2016 to 190 million by 2030, an increase of 56.2 per cent. This demographic shift will serve as a key driver for the demand of medicines in the country.”

Special attention for senior citizens