The elderly are an integral part of each society in the world. The advancement of medicine and technology has increased the life expectancy to a determined level, which has resultantly increased the ageing population. The elderly have become a very common phenomenon among the developed countries, but it is newer in the developing countries, which has caused serious concerns for them. Research studies conclude that most countries are experiencing rapid growth in the ageing population. It is estimated that at the current pace, the number of people older than 65 years would rise to 1.4 billion by 2030 from 901 million in 2015. This changing demography would not only be a matter of economic concern for the world, but would also raise issues like social insecurity, healthcare and mental health for elderly people.
October 1st was designated as the International Day of Older Persons by the UN General Assembly in 1990. According to the UNO, the aging population is a global trend reshaping societies worldwide. Life expectancy is increasing rapidly, which has exceeded 75 years at birth in half of the world’s countries. It is extended further that by the year 2030 the old population is expected to outnumber the youth population globally, astonishingly more in developing countries. The situation in turn inculcated the world leaders to reimagine a comprehensive healthcare, care and social support services for the older persons. Contextually, in this year the 35th commemoration of the UN International Day of Older Persons was celebrated with the theme of “Older persons driving local and global actions: Our aspirations, our well-being and our rights”.
Furthermore, the Continuity theory contends that the elderly people should continue their previous work and profession which could give them guarantees of a healthy and happy life. Similarly, the Disengagement theory argues that withdrawing from the previous role in the middle age is leading the people to vulnerable consequences. Thus, it is advised that the elders must engage in some activity to live a healthy and cheerful life
The problem of elderly has achieved a serious shape and become complicated in the modern digital age, which in turn needs to be investigated thoroughly and thoughtfully otherwise the societies may face dysfunction. In this regard while analyzing severity of the problem a discipline was introduced as Gerontology, derived from the Greek word geron, which means “the old person”. The discipline goes through the study of old persons, their physiological, social, psychological, mental health and other issues occur over time. Contextually, the developed world launched a number of programmes for the elderly population like “Active Living, In Porto Life is Long and Wellness Project etc.” as prominent programmes promoting healthy ageing however the situation in the developing countries is still deplorable.
In the past, old people had influential positions in the society because of their stable economic position, but since the modern trends entered their traditional role has shrunk gradually. The economy and family authority has shifted to youth. These changing trends on one hand transformed the conventional ways of earning to modern formal institutions and professionalism, which has ultimately lessened dependence of children on their parents and on the other side escalated discrepancies between the elders and their children for pursuing more authority by each cohort, which leads to humiliating situation eventually within the families. Joint family structure is a suitable launching pad for elders having for granted high authority and respect, however, such a family system is swiftly transforming into nuclear family system leading to deprivation for the elder population.
Nevertheless, the majority of the old age population has one or more chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, blood pressure and so on. These diseases subsequently lead them to disabilities, depression, nutritional challenges, physical dysfunction and so on. Moreover, the studies indicate that depression in the old age folk is a common illness and spreading rapidly in the developed as well as in developing countries equally. In Pakistan 22.9 percent of the elderly population is facing depression.
It is further stated that the intensity of depression is much greater than what is reported, and is even higher than in the USA. In this context, the WHO has warned that depression will remain the prominent cause of disability and cardiovascular disease. Besides the mental illnesses the elderly in Pakistan are also facing undernutrition and malnutrition. Most of the elderly don’t have access to meat and are deprived of fresh fruits and vegetables, which are the potential ingredients for longevity, and the state and society has failed to provide them with such requirements.
Pakistan as a developing country is also affected by the frequent demographic transition of increasing elderly population. According to the 1998 census the population of those aged 60 years and above increased to 7.34 million from 2.92 million in the 1961 census, which indicates an increase of around three times in 35 years. It is further stated that by 2030 it would touch the figure of 23.76 million, which will be 9.3 percent of the total population.
However, despite it being an alarming issue regrettably the state has not taken it seriously and no policies have been devised so far. Nonetheless, some sporadic work has been done in Punjab and Sindh to accommodate the elderly people in welfare homes, still, their performance is not remarkable. In addition, some NGOs like Pakistan Senior Citizens Association Karachi, Pakistan Association of Gerontology and Association for the welfare of the Retired Persons Islamabad have been established for the welfare of old age people.
However, these organizations have not succeeded in improving the health of the aged population because of the financial and other limitations. Though a few Old Age Homes have been established unfortunately these homes cannot adequately accommodate the huge number of the elderly cohort. Blissfully, some volunteer organizations and philanthropists are doing good by providing free services to vulnerable and dependent elderly people. But, it is not enough to accommodate the mounting number of ailing and vulnerable old age persons.
In a nutshell, like the youth, the aging also need psychological, emotional, social and recreational facilities and services. Consequently they should be cared for and supported at this stage and will be given all possible treatment and nutrition besides above mentioned requirements. Moreover, for the aging world the Activity theory communicates that activities in life do lead to healthy life. In this respect, the greater engagement of the elderly with the community and society could increase satisfaction level and lead to greater well-being among the older population.
Furthermore, the Continuity theory contends that the elderly people should continue their previous work and profession which could give them guarantees of a healthy and happy life. Similarly, the Disengagement theory argues that withdrawing from the previous role in the middle age is leading the people to vulnerable consequences. Thus, it is advised that the elders must engage in some activity to live a healthy and cheerful life.
