India has over 100 million older persons (Census 2011), which is projected
to triple by 2050. The... more India has over 100 million older persons (Census 2011), which is projected to triple by 2050. The growing cohort of elderly especially the 'oldest-old', has implications for the health and social systems, as they have greater demand for long term care. Given the changing social-cultural context withering intergenerational bonding and filial piety, the State will have to play a greater role in caring for them. This paper examines the role of age, morbidity, limitations in ADL and IADL, disability and dementia among elderly viz-a-vis long-term care availability and unmet needs in terms of both health and social-care by presenting a situational analysis of health and care needs of elderly people. It presents the factors leading to changing demand, access to and supply of care that need to be considered while designing care models for them. Strengthening primary health care and innovative community based models can be a possible solution to address their needs.
Social Capital plays an important role in determining quality of life of people more so for the o... more Social Capital plays an important role in determining quality of life of people more so for the older persons. Social networks and participation are elements of social capital that act as catalyst of coordination/cooperation, an essential element to achieve better (social and/or economic and/or health) outcomes or quality of life (QoL). Social participation and social networks have bidirectional relationship that strengthens the social capital of an individual, which determine their QoL. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to understand the QoL and its determinants among older women living in an urban context. It was observed that social capital and its elements (social networks operationalised as social contacts and social relations; trust someone and participation of older women in political processes) were important determinants of their QoL. Older women are more prone to social isolation and age and economic class are important determinants of social capital as well as QoL. Social work interventions to improve social capital of older women by adopting multi-pronged approach of strengthening family and social ties at one end and improving infrastructure like designing age friendly environments, improving access to transportation at the other end, to facilitate social networking and promote positive ageing.
Often, 'development' is simplistically equated to economic growth, however, philosophically it ha... more Often, 'development' is simplistically equated to economic growth, however, philosophically it has a deeper meaning that points towards improvement of humankind. The implicit meaning entailed in 'improvement of mankind' is 'increasing the lifespan' as well as 'quality of life' of people. With economic development and technological advancements, life expectancy at birth in India has almost doubled in the last five decades and continues to increase. However, with the changing socio-cultural context and weakening inter-generational bonds, the value system of filial piety is rapidly fading. These changes have led to increased incidence of elder abuse and neglect, especially within the family, that adversely affects the quality of lives of older persons, more so, for older women. Older women are more vulnerable due to inadequate access to resources, and dependence on their spouse and family to meet their basic needs during their life course. This paper highlights the types of abuse experienced by older women in an urban context in India, and its influence on various dimensions and overall quality of their life. The data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in suburbs of Mumbai, India, has been used to meet the objectives of this study in addition to review from other empirical studies in Indian context. The findings show a high incidence of elder abuse and family members being the main perpetrators. Elder abuse had a significantly negative impact on all dimensions of quality of life of older women reflecting an urgent need for change in social attitude coupled with policy and programmatic interventions. Keywords: elder abuse, quality of life, older women in India, physical and psychological health of older women, development and ageing.
India has over 100 million older persons (Census 2011), which is projected
to triple by 2050. The... more India has over 100 million older persons (Census 2011), which is projected to triple by 2050. The growing cohort of elderly especially the 'oldest-old', has implications for the health and social systems, as they have greater demand for long term care. Given the changing social-cultural context withering intergenerational bonding and filial piety, the State will have to play a greater role in caring for them. This paper examines the role of age, morbidity, limitations in ADL and IADL, disability and dementia among elderly viz-a-vis long-term care availability and unmet needs in terms of both health and social-care by presenting a situational analysis of health and care needs of elderly people. It presents the factors leading to changing demand, access to and supply of care that need to be considered while designing care models for them. Strengthening primary health care and innovative community based models can be a possible solution to address their needs.
Social Capital plays an important role in determining quality of life of people more so for the o... more Social Capital plays an important role in determining quality of life of people more so for the older persons. Social networks and participation are elements of social capital that act as catalyst of coordination/cooperation, an essential element to achieve better (social and/or economic and/or health) outcomes or quality of life (QoL). Social participation and social networks have bidirectional relationship that strengthens the social capital of an individual, which determine their QoL. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to understand the QoL and its determinants among older women living in an urban context. It was observed that social capital and its elements (social networks operationalised as social contacts and social relations; trust someone and participation of older women in political processes) were important determinants of their QoL. Older women are more prone to social isolation and age and economic class are important determinants of social capital as well as QoL. Social work interventions to improve social capital of older women by adopting multi-pronged approach of strengthening family and social ties at one end and improving infrastructure like designing age friendly environments, improving access to transportation at the other end, to facilitate social networking and promote positive ageing.
Often, 'development' is simplistically equated to economic growth, however, philosophically it ha... more Often, 'development' is simplistically equated to economic growth, however, philosophically it has a deeper meaning that points towards improvement of humankind. The implicit meaning entailed in 'improvement of mankind' is 'increasing the lifespan' as well as 'quality of life' of people. With economic development and technological advancements, life expectancy at birth in India has almost doubled in the last five decades and continues to increase. However, with the changing socio-cultural context and weakening inter-generational bonds, the value system of filial piety is rapidly fading. These changes have led to increased incidence of elder abuse and neglect, especially within the family, that adversely affects the quality of lives of older persons, more so, for older women. Older women are more vulnerable due to inadequate access to resources, and dependence on their spouse and family to meet their basic needs during their life course. This paper highlights the types of abuse experienced by older women in an urban context in India, and its influence on various dimensions and overall quality of their life. The data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in suburbs of Mumbai, India, has been used to meet the objectives of this study in addition to review from other empirical studies in Indian context. The findings show a high incidence of elder abuse and family members being the main perpetrators. Elder abuse had a significantly negative impact on all dimensions of quality of life of older women reflecting an urgent need for change in social attitude coupled with policy and programmatic interventions. Keywords: elder abuse, quality of life, older women in India, physical and psychological health of older women, development and ageing.
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Papers by Nidhi Gupta
to triple by 2050. The growing cohort of elderly especially the 'oldest-old', has
implications for the health and social systems, as they have greater demand
for long term care. Given the changing social-cultural context withering intergenerational bonding and filial piety, the State will have to play a greater role in caring for them. This paper examines the role of age, morbidity, limitations in ADL and IADL, disability and dementia among elderly viz-a-vis long-term care availability and unmet needs in terms of both health and social-care by
presenting a situational analysis of health and care needs of elderly people. It presents the factors leading to changing demand, access to and supply of care
that need to be considered while designing care models for them. Strengthening primary health care and innovative community based models can be a possible solution to address their needs.
Books by Nidhi Gupta
to triple by 2050. The growing cohort of elderly especially the 'oldest-old', has
implications for the health and social systems, as they have greater demand
for long term care. Given the changing social-cultural context withering intergenerational bonding and filial piety, the State will have to play a greater role in caring for them. This paper examines the role of age, morbidity, limitations in ADL and IADL, disability and dementia among elderly viz-a-vis long-term care availability and unmet needs in terms of both health and social-care by
presenting a situational analysis of health and care needs of elderly people. It presents the factors leading to changing demand, access to and supply of care
that need to be considered while designing care models for them. Strengthening primary health care and innovative community based models can be a possible solution to address their needs.