Background

The 2020 National Commission on Population report estimates that there will be nearly 138 million elderly persons in India in 2021. This is a staggering proportion of the national population that we have already reached, and in all likelihood, surpassed. It then becomes important to conduct a deeper investigation into the social, economic, material and political conditions our elderly currently live in and ideate ways in which these conditions can be made better and easier for a large, and potentially more vulnerable population.

It is often the case that senior citizens are one of the demographic groups left behind, dismissed, or ignored by the rest of society. This is likely more prevalent in instances where the elderly require specialised care: whether it be medical, social or therapeutic. A  meta-analysis on the prevalence of depressive disorders in the elderly found the worldwide prevalence of geriatric depression to be between 4.7 to 16%; India, however, displayed a

much higher prevalence of geriatric depression in comparison to other countries, 21.9%. This number could be based on the attitudes of people toward the elderly, the availability of care and subsequently the quality of care available to them. 

It might also be the case that these alarming statistics regarding the prevalence of geriatric depression (not to mention other prevalent mental or physical issues) could be owed to feelings of isolation and disconnection: not only from the world but from the people in their immediate environments. Many do not have access to the digital resources, media and connectivity that younger people do. Often, even if they do, they might not have a sufficient understanding of their capabilities vis a vis the internet and it’s ubiquity in our lives. This becomes an especially salient problem with the solutions that certain online services such as 1mg, Practo, WebMD and others may be able to provide to senior citizens.

It is often said that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” this holds especially true in the current digital age: with our phones, computers and smart TVs ensuring we always have something to do. Why then should we deprive a people who have given us so much, from the same forms of entertainment, education and access?

Sources:

https://ruralindiaonline.org/hi/library/resource/elderly-in-india-2021/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3221135/