WELL-BEING OF ELDERLY

WELL-BEING OF ELDERLY Dr. G. Narendra Kumar Dr. S. Nagabhushana Rao Dr. Rubina Nusrat Centre for Equity and Social Development National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India Rajendranagar, Hyderabad – 500 030, India WELL-BEING OF ELDERLY Authors: Dr. G. Narendra Kumar, Dr. S. Nagabhushana Rao & Dr. Rubina Nusrat © National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, 2023 ISBN: 978-93-91412-09-8 First Edition (January 2023) Published by: Centre for Equity and Social Development National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India Rajendranagar, Hyderabad – 500 030, India ii FOREWORD All of us acknowledge that being an elder is a special phase in one’s life. It is associated with being wise and philosophical. Each one’s experience of ageing is unique to one’s class, caste, gender and cultural milieu. Yet, cutting across diversities, being elderly is a time filled with nostalgia, fond memories of childhood, friendship, travels, successes and love. It also includes irksome episodes of deep hurt and tribulations that refuse to be erased from memory. It is a period when the body is weakened and ill-health catches up, debilitating physical activity, often having a radical impact on lifestyles and social life. Many do not want to burden their children and dislike depending on others. There are compromises the old make leading to living an ascetic life, giving up on the clothes one would like to wear, eating their favourite food, contacting friends, listening to music and so on. They are unprepared for ageing. They become hard of hearing and conversations with them become increasingly difficult. Gradually, with lack of stimulation, loneliness creeps in. The challenges of youth in contemporary society makes it difficult to give enough attention to their ageing parents. Not that they care less for them, but they are coping with the challenges of modern life, building a career, investing in their own family and children, and yearning to live a quality life. They have no leisure and are caught in their efforts to bring stability in their lives. This aspiration cuts across the rich and the poor classes. It is so important that as a society we learn to respect the elderly and take good care of them. The average life expectancy in India is 70 years and according to the 2011 census there are 104 million elderly people in India. By 2026 the number is expected to grow up to 173 million. One has to realize that sooner or later, the young too would be part of the elderly population. “Becoming old” is inevitable, a condition that cannot be helped. I believe this is an intergenerational issue and we have to exercise ourselves as individuals (in whatever age), community or class group to churn out a debate and discuss how best to give dignity to the elderly. Taking cues from Japanese society, we need to understand that ‘age is just a number’. Many of them are involved in work until they are in their 80s and some even work until they reach 90 and beyond. iii Of course, there is a need to think long term on how the society and the State would be prepared to respect the elderly and give them a good quality of life. There is a need for greater financial support to meet the expenses of health and basic living for its senior citizens after retirement. There is also a need to think about community care or institutional care by the society and State to meet the specific requirement of the elderly. It is precisely at this juncture that the publication of the book entitled, ‘Well-Being of Elderly’ with contributions by Dr. G. Narendra Kumar, IAS, Dr. S. Nagabhushana Rao, Dr. Rubina Nusrat and others, published by the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj is timely. The book is designed to understand the problems of elderly, and the perception and the attitude of the young towards elderly. I am sure that the book would add value to policy makers, rural development professionals, academicians, government and nongovernmental agencies in their understanding about senior citizens in our country. Dr. Shantha Sinha Prof. and Head, Political Science (Retd.) University of Hyderabad & Former Chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Govt. of India iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Well-being of elderly is an attempt to focus on wisdom and knowledge of elderly to develop the society. It focuses on 11 per cent of the population, who will become the elderly by 2025. To utilise their services, change of policies and attitude is an essential element. We are thankful to Dr. W. R. Reddy, IAS, former Director General, NIRDPR for giving us this opportunity and encouraging us in every phase of collection of data and bringing this data in published form. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Smt. Alka Upadhyaya, IAS, Former Director General, NIRDPR for her timely support and permitting us to publish this book. We express special thanks to Smt. Radhika Rastogi, IAS, former Deputy Director General, NIRDPR for helping us to publish this book. We express sincere thanks to Shri S. M. Vijayanand, IAS, former Secretary, MoPR, MoRD and former Chief Secretary, Kerala for his valuable suggestions to bring it in a publication format. We are grateful to all the authors, who have contributed the papers. We express gratitude to the authors who have contributed papers to this volume. We are thankful to Shri Krishna Raj K. S. and Shri G. Sai Ravi Kishore Raja, Assistant Editors, CDC for their help in editing the script and Shri. V. G. Bhatt, Artist, CDC for designing the cover page of this book. We acknowledge our family members, who took pain and pleasure of reading this manuscript and encouraged us to publish this book. We acknowledge all the people who supported us in this endeavour. Dr G. Narendra Kumar, IAS Dr. S. Nagabhushana Rao Dr. Rubina Nusrat v CONTENTS S. No. Title of the Papers Authors 1 Global Goals: No Elderly Left Behind: Building a Better Society for Elderly People - A Policy Challenges 2 Health status of the senior citizens in Tamil Nadu - A Case Study of Villupuram District A. Annadurai 3 Strategies towards Framing Model Care for the Elderly B. K. Swain 4 The Factors Affecting the Feeling of Loneliness of the Elderly People Ms. Swapna 5 Information Communication and Technologies (ICTs) for Elderly J. Balamurugan 6 An Exploratory Study on Status of Various Types of Securities of Senior Citizens in Telangana and Chhattisgarh 7 Ageing of Public Health Dr. T. Mohammed Hussain 8 Analysis of Socio-Political-Economy of Manipur, with views of Elderly People from Imphal East and Imphal West Oinam Teresa Khumancha 9 Old Age Pension: Security to Senior Citizens in Andhra Pradesh Pesala Peter 10 A Study on Impact of Gender Disparity on the Lives of Ageing Transgenders in Our Society Polimetla Amitha 11 Quality of Life as an Indicator of Successful Ageing R. R. Prasad Vulnerability Analysis and Coping Strategies for Revaluing Our Elderly Population during Pandemic: A Holistic Perspective Rubina Nusrat 12 Dr. G.Narendra Kumar, IAS E. Kandeepan Prof. K. Prathap Reddy Prof. K Visweswara Rao 13 Drivers of Motivation and Challenges to Smart Phone Use by Senior Citizens in Pune City Samita Mahapatra 14 Economic and Social Concerns and Status of Senior Citizens – Need for Intervention Strategies V. Venkateswarlu 15 An Evaluation of Socio-Economic status of Older People: A case study of Prayagraj District, Uttar Pradesh Ved Prakash Mishra 16 A Psychological Attitude and Behavioral Changes towards the Ageing Y. Ganga Bhavani 17 Well-being of Elderly S. Nagabhushana Rao vi Nitu Pandey M. Indira Priya Darsini OVERVIEW OF ARTICLES Dr. G. Narendra Kumar, IAS, DG, NIRDPR brings his valuable experience in policy formulation and policy implementation into his article “Global Goals: No elderly left behind: Building a better society for elderly People - A Policy Challenges.” ‘Everyone will be ageing in the society and every senior citizen is a human’, says Dr. G. Narendra Kumar in his article. The main social transformation globally in twentieth century is the ageing population. Globally, there were 727 million persons aged 65 years or over in 2020. United Nations estimated that by 2050 the number of persons aged 60 years and over will increase from 600 million to 2 billion and expected to double from 10 to 21 per cent. The increase of elderly people is rapid in developing countries. India is in second place globally in terms of senior citizens. According to the statistics, one in 10 people is a senior citizen. According to the Economic Survey 2018-19, there is a rapid increase of the elderly in India. There is an estimate that by 2050, the elderly people will be more than 40 Crores in the country. The author opines that ‘there should be dignity in ageing.’ The elderly people suffer from psychological, financial, health, security problems, fail to adjust with changing culture and a trauma of loneliness. Author says that “Elderly are natural resources, with wisdom, knowledge, and experience.” The author concludes by saying that the policy should focus on utilising these valuable human resources in economic development and nation building. In the paper, titled “Health status of the senior citizens in Tamil Nadu- a case study of Villupuram District,” authors discuss about the health status of senior citizen’s is neglected in different parts of the Country. This study will reflect the condition of health status of senior citizen’s in rural areas of Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu. This cluster study gives a bird’s eye view about the health status of senior citizens of the study area. The findings are unique in many respects and should have far-reaching, theoretical, methodological, policy and programme implications in the programmes meant to improve the quality of life of the senior citizens. The paper titled Strategies towards Framing Model Care for the Elderly by B. K. Swain emphasises on the need to focus on ageing issues and to take effective measures for improvement in the quality of life for the aged people. The major objective of the present paper is to deliberate on some issues of the elderly people living in India with a specific view to identify gaps and suggest appropriate measures towards a dignified life for the elderly. In a vast country like ours, usually the elderly people pay a large percentage of their income for even basic healthcare services. As there is strong correlation between health and economic status, it is of special importance for the elderly whose livelihood depends on their physical ability and often associated with lack of provision for required economic security in fag end of their life. Moreover, due to industrialisation and the changing trends in the society, it is the elderly who are facing the consequences of this transition more as the infrastructure often cannot meet their needs. Lack of suitable housing along with poor physical conditions, low- vii income levels, high rates of unemployment, along with rising personal and social problems such as crime, alcoholism, mental illness are creating immeasurable hazards for the aged people. Moreover, lack of public and community facilities such as drinking water, sanitation, planned streets, drainage systems and access to affordable healthcare services are affecting the elderly people in a significant manner. The paper titled “The factors affecting the feeling of loneliness of the elderly people” by C. Swapna stresses that when people become older because of the changes in the age at one stage and loneliness has been one of the most feared problems of the society. Loneliness can be described as a feeling of isolation from other individuals, regardless of whether one is physically isolated from others or not. Loneliness may occur in all age groups, but this is more a problem peculiar to the elderly. The main emphasis of this paper is on ways in which the elderly people when engaged with the children can contribute some service to society and make rid of loneliness and raise happiness in their lives and also doing some social service to the children who are availing education in local government schools. The elderly not only share their experiences of their life but can give moral values, ethical values, vocational training, etc., interacting with young ones and making themselves busy by spending time in local government schools. The paper titled “Information Communication and Technologies (ICTs) for Elderly” by J. Balamurugan emphasised that the elderly in India were traditionally regarded to be revered members of their families and this tradition was followed since ancient times. But with rapid social change particularly the predominance of the nuclear family, the elderly is fast losing their pre-eminent social status. The transformation of society based on a fast industrial and global cultural system has led to an erosion of traditional values and the elderly have to accept the transformation of the family life and meet the challenges of ensuring a graceful and healthy ageing. The use of ICTs for the elderly must focus on preparing for change, care services, health care, and a range of smart home technologies. The paper titled “An Exploratory Study on Status of Various Types of Securities of Senior Citizens in Telangana and Chhattisgarh” by Prof. K. Prathap Reddy, emphasises that interest in understanding the concerns of senior citizens is attracting the attention of researchers and policy-makers in the last three decades. These researchers have explored various problems in a fragmented manner that are related to financial, health, nutrition, housing, abuse by the family members & the society, and spiritual and psychological issues besides others. Results of a more comprehensive set of problems such as financial security, health security, food and nutrition security, housing security, familial security, spiritual and psychological security is taken up in this study. Data were collected from 960 respondents drawn from six villages and three block headquarters selected belonging to three districts each from Telangana and Chhattisgarh. Results indicate that health security is the most important problem followed by financial security, food and nutrition security, and psychological security. Housing security seems to be relatively a less important problem. The paper titled “Ageing of Public Health” by Dr. T. Mohammed Hussain enumerates that viii as per the Annual review of public health 17(1), 25-46,1996, improvements in life expectancy in the 20th century have resulted from major declines in mortality at younger ages, but its less recognised that mortality declines at older ages have also played a substantial role reaching age 65 in 1900 could expect to line an additional 11.8 years. Life expectancy at age 65 rose to 14.4 years by 19.60 and the increased by about three years in the next three decades reaching 17.5 years in 1992 (54.70). As a greater proportion of the population survives to very old ages, the public health impact of the burden of disease and disability and related utilisation of medical care and need for supportive and long-term case has become an important concern. In particular the ability of the older person to function independently in the community is a critical important public health issue. A growing body of research in the last decade has addressed the measurement of disability factors related to its onset, consequences of disability, and the potential for preventive interventions beyond biological changes, ageing is also associated with other life transitions such as retirement, relocation to more appropriate housing, and death of friends and partners. The following are the some of the common health conditions associated with ageing hearing loss, cataracts and refractive errors, back and neck pain and osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease diabetes, depression and dimensions furthermore, as people age they are more likely to experience general condition at the same time. The seventh paper titled “Analysis of Socio-Political-Economy of Manipur, with views of Elderly People from Imphal East and Imphal West” by Oinam Teresa Khumancha portrays that to get a clear picture of conditions of elderly people knowing and finding the relations of these social, political and economy is required. Manipur lies in the eastern border adjacent Myanmar, and India’s whole North-eastern region is sandwiched between Bangladesh, China and Myanmar. Manipur Meitei society is Patriarchy in nature, but quite different from Mainland society and other northern and southern States compared to norms and structure. The political situation of Manipur is very unstable with possible ethnic violence, infected by insurgences, militants, corruption in Government, underdeveloped economy and infrastructure. Then the economic condition of families in Manipur is pathetic as they are hampered by politics. In paper the government seems to have proper plan and policies to address the present situation of the elderly population if not about the future which again seem difficult in delivering the present socio-political and economic condition of Manipur. The ninth paper titled “Old age pension: Social security senior citizens in Andhra Pradesh” by Pesala Peter discusses about the introduction of many social security programmes for elderly population by Government of Andhra Pradesh. Among them, the old age pension scheme is very attractive and helps the needy people particularly Below Poverty Line (BPL). This scheme is useful irrespective of the religion/all social groups and above 60 years age are eligible to get the monthly pension scheme. Once enrolled in the list he/she will get pension up to his/her death. The elderly person is unable to attend the concerned office to get monthly pension, in this situation concerned officer will come to the elderly person’s house and distribute his/her allotted amount. The study uses various resources like secondary information, which is readily available in government websites, reports, journals and ix newspapers and etc. This paper is investigating the social security of elderly people in Andhra Pradesh. Based on the investigation the study provides suitable policy suggestion for Andhra Pradesh to improve the facilities to the rural/urban elderly people. The ninth paper titled “A study on Impact of Gender Disparity on the lives of aging transgenders in our society” By Polimetla Amitha and Prof. K. Visweswara Rao, illustrates in their exploratory study about the Third gender or Transgenders. Third gender people in India, commonly known as the Transgender/Hijras, who claim to be neither male nor female, are discriminated due to gender disparity in Indian society. Less attention has been focused on Transgender (TG) older adults because of ageist invisibility and the rarity of a TG person surviving into older adulthood. TG communities themselves are learning how to age and what it means to be an older adult, since many TG people have never seen living into older adulthood as a possibility. It is frequently stated by members of the TG community that TG people have an average lifespan of 30-35 years. TG community members are accorded elder status in their 30s and 40s, to emerge into their 50s, 60s, 70s as older adults, TG people must have survived hate, violence, and attempted murder, suicide and depression, limited access to education, housing, and employment, systematic oppression, a profound lack of healthcare and constant risk of exposure and expulsion in a transphobic world. While most care systems are unprepared to provide affirmative, respectful health care to TG elders, the need is extremely huge given TG people’s low access to affirmative care for decades of their lives and their understandable hesitance to approach healthcare, given previous, consistent experiences in transphobic and damaging care system. In a landmark judgement the Supreme Court of India on April 2014 created the “third gender” status for Hijras or transgenders. This paper focusses on the kinds of discriminations faced by aging transgenders due to gender disparity in the society. R. R Prasad in his article, “Quality of Life of as an indicator of successful Aging” speaks about increase in number of elderly people in India and around the globe. The elderly population (aged 60 years or over) has increased from 9.2 per cent in 1990 to 11.7 per cent in 2013 and will continue to grow as a proportion of the world population, reaching 21.1 per cent by 2050. The elderly persons are projected to exceed the number of children for the first time in 2047. At present, an about two thirds of the world’s elderly persons are living in developing countries. Because the older population in less developed regions is growing faster than in the more developed regions. By 2050, nearly 8 in 10 of the world’s elderly population will live in the less developed regions. The elderly people will contribute in many ways. They contribute to family, community and to the society. But their contribution is depending upon key indicators of health. Healthy ageing is the main factor for their positive contribution to the society. The author points out that elderly in rural areas suffer from lack of accessibility to health services. The author concludes by saying that comprehensive health policy will protect them from health risks and make them to live with quality of life in ageing process. The tenth paper titled “Vulnerability Analysis and Coping Strategies for revaluing our x Elderly Population during Pandemic: A holistic Perspective” by Rubina Nusrat stresses in this paper on the vulnerabilities of elderly during pandemic times like COVID-19 in terms of care within family, remote accessibility to medical care, awareness needed but not sensitisation of facts, enhancing social support, and usage of technology for staying connected. Eventually the paper discusses the coping strategies in terms of medical emergencies, coping strategies of keeping yourself well and keeping elders involved socially, mentally and psychologically. The paper enumerates the effective coping strategy for elderly during COVID-19 Pandemic situation from India. The paper titled “Drivers of Motivation and Challenges to Smart Phone use by Senior Citizens in Pune City” by Samita Mahapatra and Nitu Pandey through this research paper they have made an attempt to find out the drivers that motivated the elderly to use smartphone and challenges encountered by them in the process of use. Survey-based research is conducted for a sample of 174 elderly population in Pune city. Even though the elderly is using smartphone, there is no difference between their usage and other groups usage. As elderly population needs more attention they must possess additional apps viz., health app, security app and emergency assistance app. They must be trained about the technicalities of app and mobile phone, so that they are not dependent on others. The paper titled “Economic and Social Concerns and Status of Senior Citizens – Need for Intervention Strategies” by V. Venkateswarlu and M. Indira Priya Darsini stresses that agebased discrimination causes emotional and psychological abuse to the elderly resulting to depression and low self-esteem. The present study focused on the economic and social concerns and status of senior citizens and further throws light upon the intervention strategies for ameliorating the vulnerable conditions of senior citizens. Continuity of discrimination makes the elderly grow apathetically and finally withdraw from the society. Additionally, age discrimination erodes senior’s confidence and dignity, finally affecting their lifestyle. Abuse and victimisation has become part and parcel of the elderly in the 21st century. These abuses include financial exploitation, physical abuse and psychological abuse. The elderly should not be blamed for the persistent increase in social and healthcare costs. The increase of health and social costs are caused by global economic crisis. The youth need to stop the stereotype thinking and listen to seniors who have wisdom and experience. The media too need to change the ways in which they portray the elderly in society. Media reaches many people therefore the perception of ageing can be changed easily by them. Lack of social security measures, deficiencies and failures of old age homes and elder care institutions make the lives of some elder people more miserable. The paper titled “An Evaluation of Socio-Economic status of Older People: A case study of Prayagraj District, Uttar Pradesh” by Ved Prakash Mishra stresses that India is facing the challenges of demographic transition, While the largest portion of its population, according to the 2011 census, is a demographic dividend, on the other hand, eight per cent of its population is at 60 years and above, its share is expected to increase to 12.5 per cent and 20 per cent by 2025 and 2050 respectively. Although the percentage of older people is not higher than in developed countries, yet the population is increasing gradually, which is quite xi large with this kind of an ageing scenario, there is pressure on all aspects of care for the older persons – be it financial, health or shelter. In such a situation, it becomes more challenging for our policy-makers to build a policy that is suited to the modern changing scenario of the elderly and their social and economic security. In This context the purpose of the study is to discuss the current socio-economic problem of the elders in Indian Society. In the present study rural areas of Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh have been taken for the study. The socio-economic condition and problems of the elders in rural areas have been analysed and discussed through the six socio-economic indicators, these indicators have also been used to evaluate the impact of government programmes for old age people along with this, in this paper it has been also discussed the effectiveness of National old age pension scheme on order’s Socio-Economic condition. The paper titled “A Psychological Attitude and Behavioural changes towards the Aging” by Y. Ganga Bhavani emphasises that some late-life problems that can result in depression and anxiety include coping with physical health problems, caring for a spouse with dementia or a physical disability, grieving the death of loved ones, and managing conflict with family members. Addressing these problems and treating often overlooked mental health conditions results in decreased emotional suffering, improved physical health, lessened disability, and a better quality of life for older adults and their families. Increasing access to mental health services for aging adults will reduce healthcare expenditures by lowering the frequency of primary care visits, medical procedures, and medication use. This paper is based on a sample size of 80. A survey method was used for data collection. The statistical measured used are the paired sample ‘t’ test. The results revealed that there is a significant difference between a psychological attitude and behavioural change towards the male older adults and female older adults. In the article titled “Well-being of Elderly” the author points out that the elderly population is growing faster in the world. The elderly is more in developing countries than in developed countries. The elderly people are having skills, experience, knowledge, and wisdom and their contribution to the society is immense in developing the society. The main concern is ageing process which accompanied with chronic health issues. As ageing process advances, their mobility is also reduced. Along with health issues, the financial problems also set in and a social relation becomes weak as their mobility is reduced. Due to change of lifestyles, there exists a gap between the young and elderly people. Breaking up of joint families has become a curse to the elderly. The children will go to abroad for higher studies or for employment and they never return. As a result, the loneliness becomes the lifestyle of elderly and it is one of the major diseases in present day world. The article focuses on policy advocacy free health facilities to the elderly, financial help through old age pensions and creation of more old age homes to live happily their day-to-day life. The author also expresses that utilisation of elderly people skills, experience, knowledge and wisdom to build a better world. xii AUTHOR’S PROFILE Dr. G. Narendra Kumar Dr. G. Narendra Kumar, IAS (AGMUT:1989) has assumed charge as Director General of National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad on 27 th January, 2021 for a period of five years. Earlier he was Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Delhi. Dr. Narendra Kumar, IAS possesses Ph.D. from Osmania University and holds Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Maxwell School of Public Affairs, USA and a Certificate Course in Information System Management from the Syracuse University. He was instrumental in setting up of four Universities in Delhi and in increasing access to quality technical and higher education in Delhi. Dr. Narendra Kumar is also known for developing Pondicherry as the Hardware Capital of India. While working as Joint Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat he helped in setting up Government of India wide Performance Monitoring and Evaluation System in the form of Results Framework Documents (RFDs). Earlier he worked in various national and international academic institutions such as Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) where he was instrumental in developing the National Code of Good Governance and ICRISAT besides his wide range of administrative experience in environmental protection, social and sustainable development. Dr. R. R. Prasad Dr. R. R. Prasad was associated with the National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), Hyderabad, as a Consultant and Senior Consultant with effect from January, 2016 to October 2018. Earlier, from July 1995 to December 2015, he worked as Professor and Head, Centre for Equity & Social Development (CESD) in the NIRDPR. Mrs. Oinam Teresa Khumancha Mrs. Oinam Teresa Khumancha is a Ph.D Scholar in Society and Development Studies, at Central University of Gujarat. She has completed M. Phil in gerontology related issues. She completed her MSc in Psychology at Bangalore University. She had already published two articles in peer review journals. Currently, she is working on gender related development issues. xiii Mrs. Swapna Chary Mrs. C. Swapna is working as lecturer in Panineeya Mahavidyalaya College of Education since 2016 till date. She did her Master's Degree in Philosophy from University college of Arts & Social Sciences College, Osmania University, Master's degree in Education (with 14th rank) from University college of Education (IASE), Osmania University, Master's degree in English from Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur and Master's degree in Human Resource Management from Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, Tamilnadu and has been qualified in UGC-NET in Education. She has written chapters in few books, published articles and journals. She has been a resource person for B. Ed, PGRR-CDE, Osmania University and has developed content for e-modules and video content related to B. Ed Curriculum from MHRD, GOI, PMMMNMTT in Biological Sciences in the year 2019-20. Dr. J. Balamurugan Dr. J. Balamurugan (b-1985) is currently Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Social Sciences, School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu. He holds M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degree from Department of Sociology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry. He has taught at PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore. He specialises in Social Gerontology, Sociology of Health, Community Development, Media and Society. He has participated and presented a number of research papers in both National and International conferences and published a number of research articles in reputed journals, edited books and conference volumes in National and International forums. Dr. Pesala Peter Dr. Pesala Peter obtained M.Phil and Ph.D degrees from Central University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana State. He worked in different reputed institutions like NIRDPR, CESS, ICRISAT and ISEC. He published papers in national journals, papers published in edited books and working papers. He presented papers in national and international seminars. Presently he is working as a consultant in ADRTC, at ISEC. He can be reached at drpesalapeter@gmail.com. Dr. Ved Prakash Mishra Dr. Ved Prakash Mishra is currently working as an Assistant Professor of Economics, Iswar Saran College, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj. He has done his research on Evaluation of Socio-Economic Condition of Elderly People in India from University of Allahabad. His Specialisation is Rural Development and Population & Man Power Planning. Presently, he is working on research project sponsored by ICSSR, New Delhi.' xiv Dr. M. Indira Priya Darshini M. Indira Priya Darshini completed MSW, MA (Psychology) and pursing her Ph.D degree in the Department of Sociology and Social work at Acharya Nagarjuna University. She worked in different areas like Social work, gerontology and in health sector in NGOs. Presently she is working in MY Choices organisation with collaborating of women safety wing (Telangana State). She can be reached at ravipriyavignesh@gmail.com. Dr. Rubina Nusrat Dr. Rubina Nusrat worked as Assistant Professor at Centre for Equity and Social Development at National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj. She has taught at Masters level at Department of Sociology and Social work, Aligarh Muslim University and Department of Social Work, Jamia Millia Islamia University. She has to her credit two published books titled ‘Sustainability of Van Gujjars: A Transition of Muslim Pastoral Tribe in Himalayan Region.” and “Sustainability of Taungya Community: A Transition of Scheduled Caste Community in Shivalik Region.” She has authored a number of papers in peer reviewed international and national journals of repute and contributed chapters in edited books. She has attended and presented papers in several seminars, workshops and conferences (International and National) related to social sector. Her area of specialisation is social inclusion, sustainability and livelihood. Dr. Samita Mahapatra Dr. Samita Mahapatra, is currently working as Assistant Professor with MIT College of Management, MIT Art, Design & Technology University, Loni Kalbor, Pune. For thirteen years she worked as Assistant Professor with Singhad Institute of Management, Pune. She has been a visiting faculty at Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning, MIT School of Management, Bharati Vidyapeet’s IMED and Allana Institute of Management Sciences and many more. An enthusiastic teacher with 22+ years hands-on experience in teaching graduates and postgraduates and 5½ years of Industry experience. Dr. Samita Mahapatra was awarded Ph.D in the area of Organizational Management from Smt. Savitribhai Phule Pune University. She has completed Bachelor of Commerce and MA in Economics from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management and Masters in Business Studies from Smt. Savitribhai Phule Pune University (earlier University of Pune). She has contributed articles, research papers, book chapters and books in diverse fields of Economics and General Management. Dr. Samita Mahapatra has been awarded the Accredited Management Teacher for Economics by All India Management Association (AIMA). She was awarded Best Research Paper at International Conference organized by Amity University, Patna in 2020 and in 2009 National Seminar organized by Zeal’s Dnyanganga Institute of Management, Pune. In 2021, she received the International Academic Excellence Award 2020-2021 by I2OR, Ministry of MSME, Government of India. She was instrumental in conducting a field Market Survey of Solar Invertors in Maharashtra for a Canadian Based Company Ener Natural Inc. 2001. xv Sr. Amita Polimetla Sr. Amitha Polimetla belongs to Catholic Religious Congregation known as the Salvatorian Sisters, Andhra Pradesh. She worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work, at St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore for four years. In the year 2013, she represented her congregation at United Nations and worked with UNANIMA international NGO in New York, USA. Currently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on the topic, ‘Issues and Empowerment of the transgender community.’ Her Motto: “Let us join our hands to bring back the lost human dignity of the transgender community in our society.” Dr. K. Prathap Reddy K. Prathap Reddy is a doctorate from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (Fellow, IIMA), MSc (Agriculture), and BSc (Agriculture) from the College of Agriculture at Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. He has over 45 years of experience in research, consultancy, teaching and training in agribusiness and rural development management; published four edited books, and over 50 papers and book chapters; designed and conducted over 30 different types of training programmes; conducted over 35 consultancy projects for both national and international agencies like FAO, UNICEF, World Bank, etc.; was on Boards/Executive Councils of several institutions like MANAGE, NIRDPR, VAMNICOM, Gujarat Agriculture University, KVIB, etc.; guided 17 PhD management students of IFHE (ICFAI) University, Hyderabad. In the past, Dr. Reddy worked as Senior Professor and Director of the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), Gujarat, first Director of Food and Agri Business School (FABS), & SVVR Educational Society, Hyderabad; Lead Partner at Byrraju Foundation, Hyderabad; Visiting Professor, NIRDPR, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad; Adjunct Professor, IBS Business School, IFHE University, Hyderabad; faculty member at National Academy and of Agricultural Research Management, ICAR, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad; and also worked in AP Agricultural University, and Department of Agriculture, Andhra Pradesh. At present, Dr. Reddy is a Distinguished visiting Professor at IBS, IFHE, Hyderabad, the Chairman of Dhruva College of Management, the Chairman of, Board of studies of Food and Agribusiness School (FABS), Hyderabad, the Board of Director of Ari Aurobindo Institute of Rural Development, Gaddipally; and Advisor (Agriculture) to Brane Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. xvi Dr. A. Annadurai Dr. A. Annadurai is an Associate Professor of Economics, Madras Christian College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He has completed more than 20 years PG level and more than 15 years of research experience. He has obtained M.A (1992) and M.Phil (1993) Degree from Madras Christian College, Chennai. He has completed Ph.D from The Gandhigram, Rural Institute, Gandhigram, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. He has guided nine Ph.D. candidates and ten M.Phil. candidates. He has published 30 articles in various reputed Scopus, UGC –Care List and Web of Science journals. He has presented 12 and 45 research papers in international and national seminars respectively. He has served as a resource person for more than 30 international and national seminars. He has been awarded as YOUNG ECONOMIST AWARD in 2014 by Association of Economists of Tamil Nadu. Dr. E. Kandeepan Dr. E Kandeepan is working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, Government Arts and Science College, Idappadi, Salem, Tamil Nadu. He obtained his Post Graduate Degree from Guru Nanak College, Velachary Chennai-42 in 2010 and M.Phil from University of Madras in 2011. He cleared the State Eligibility Test for Lectureship (SET) conducted by UGC- Bharthiyar University in 2011. He was awarded Ph.D by University of Madras in 2021. He has more than 10 years of teaching and research experience. He has published 25 research papers various reputed Journals, Scopus, UGC –Care List, Web of Science and his special areas of Research and Development, Research in Rural development, Health Economics and Development Economics, Best Researcher Award by Indian Journal for Modern Trends in Science and Technology in 2022 (IJMTST Excellence Award 2022) and Best Faculty. Dr. B. K. Swain Dr. B. K. Swain has completed M.A, M.Phil and Ph.D from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. After completing Ph.D from JNU, Dr. Swain joined as a Probationary Officer in the State Bank of India. He served the bank for more than 15 years in senior managerial positions. Subsequently, he worked as the Joint Director of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, New Delhi for six years. Thereafter, he joined as the Professor and Head (Centre for Financial Inclusion and Entrepreneurship) at the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), Hyderabad and retired in the year 2016. He has completed a number of academic degrees and diplomas in his area of studies. Prof. Swain has published six books and several articles in various reputed journals including IBA Bulletins, Professional Banker, CS Bulletins and other journals of various management and professional bodies. While serving in SBI, ICSI and NIRD, he has mainly focused on Training and Development as well as Behavioral Research in ‘Banking’ areas of these respective organisations. Presently, he is serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Odisha State Association of Financial Inclusion Institutions (OSAFII) focusing on the domain of Rural Banking, Micro-Finance, Financial Inclusion and Rural Credit. xvii Ms. Y. Ganga Bhavani Ms. Yadavalli Ganga Bhavani, is a post-graduate in Psychology and M.Ed. At present she is working as a Student Counsellor in K L Deemed to be University, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Since last 8 years she is teaching and researching. She has presented and participated in 18 National and International seminars and paper publications with ISSN and ISBN. She has conducted psychology workshops for mental health and well-being for aged people. Dr. T. Mohammed Hussain Dr. T. Mohammed Hussain has MA (English) and obtained Ph.D in the field of Education. He is in teaching and research for past 26 years and he is a social activist working with the elderly people. Dr. S. N. Rao Dr. Staharla Nagabhushana Rao has obtained his M.A (1988) and M.Phil (1990) from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi and Ph.D. (2004) in Political Science from University of Hyderabad. He has qualified National Eligibility Test (NET-1988) conducted by UGC, New Delhi. He has a very good academic record in NIRDPR, Hyderabad. He has a wide experience on the socio-economic and political issues of North Eastern Region. As Areas Officer under the Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India, he has evaluated many Rural Development Programmes launched by Government of India and implemented by the North Eastern States. He has published more than a dozen articles in different journals on different facets of Rural Development. He has participated in many seminars and workshops in the area of Rural Development. His areas of concern are Good Governance, Panchayati Raj, Women Empowerment, Livelihood Aspects in Forest Watershed Development and Tribal Development. xviii WELL-BEING OF ELDERLY INFORMATION COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGIES (ICTs) FOR ELDERLY J. Balamurugan Abtract The elderly in India were traditionally regarded to be revered members of their families and this tradition was followed since ancient times. But with rapid social change particularly the predominance of the nuclear family the elderly is fast losing their pre-eminent social status. The transformation of society based on a fast industrial and global cultural system has led to an erosion of traditional values and the elderly have to accept the transformation of the family life and meet the challenges of ensuring a graceful and healthy ageing. The use of ICTs for the elderly must focus on preparing for change, care services, health care, and a range of smart home technologies. Keyword: Social Change, Technology, Care, Elderly. Introduction The rapid advances in science and medicine and better quality of life are leading to increase in longevity of populations in several regions of the world [1]. The ageing of the world population is a matter of concern for policy-makers and administrators who are thinking in terms of the demographic, social, psychological, economic, and health aspects of ageing. According to Population Census 2011 there are nearly 104 million elderly persons (aged 60 years or above) in India; 53 million females and 51 million males [2]. A report released by the United Nations Population Fund and HelpAge India suggests that the number of elderly persons is expected to grow to 173 million by 2026 [3]. Both the share and size of elderly population is increasing over time. From 5.6 per cent in 1961 the proportion has increased to 8.6 per cent in 2011. For males it was marginally lower at 8.2 per cent, while for females it was 9.0 per cent. As regards rural and urban areas, 71 per cent of elderly population resides in rural areas while 29 per cent is in urban areas. The life expectancy at birth during 2009-13 was 69.3 for females as against 65.8 years for males. At the age of 60 years average remaining length of life was found to be about 18 years (16.9 for males and 19.0 for females) and that at age 70 was less than 12 years (10.9 for males and 12.3 for females) [4]. Kerala has got the highest life expectancy at birth, followed by Maharashtra and Punjab. The life expectancy at birth in Kerala is 71.8 years and 77.8 years for males and females respectively, [5]. There are few studies in India that relate to the multidimensional problems of ageing. Research is needed to formulate, implement and evaluate policies and programmes for the elderly and their needs. This article will discuss the concept of old age, 77 WELL-BEING OF ELDERLY the elderly and demographic trends, at risk groups, the challenges and opportunities in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the elderly people. It will also address some key public policy issues in the use of ICTs for the elderly. Concept of old age The concept of old age is based on several factors such as chorological age and social definition that varies from region to region and country to country. In most countries the ages from 50 to 70 years are taken for defining old age. The age group 50-60 is taken as young-old, 60-70 as middle-old and those above 70 are taken to be old-old. The concept of old age in India is based on the attainment of 60 years. Demographic Trend The elderly is not a homogeneous group. There is tremendous diversity within the elderly population based on variables that differentiate between sub-groups of the elderly. These variables include gender (male/female), age (young-old, middle-old, old-old), ethnicity, race, socio-economic status, marital status (married, widowed, separated, divorced), childlessness, living status (alone Vs with someone), informal assistance and geographical location (urban/ rural). Elderly women are at higher risk as more of them live alone as widowed or separated/ divorced; poor and chronically ill. There is tremendous impact of modernisation, urbanisation and migration on the lives of elderly population. The breakdown of the joint family system that was one of the important social support structures in several countries has also led to the neglect and increased vulnerability of the elderly. The healthy and disabled elderly are sub-groups with specific needs and require different policy and programme interventions. ICT for Elderly People The elderly in India were traditionally regarded to be revered members of their families and this tradition was followed since ancient times. But with rapid social change particularly the predominance of the nuclear family the elderly are fast losing their pre-eminent social status. The transformation of society based on the fast industrial and global cultural system has led to an erosion of traditional values and the elderly have to accept the transformation of family life and meet the challenges of ensuring a graceful and healthy ageing. The use of ICTs for the elderly must focus on preparing for change, care services, health care, and a range of smart home technologies. Care Service There are emerging concerns about the lack of services for the elderly. ICT will lead to 78 WELL-BEING OF ELDERLY major changes in many aspects of society, for example, health care, home-help services, public transport, retailing, banking, and taxi services for people with disabilities. Many elderly people are heavily dependent upon these services. It is, therefore, vital that any form of new technology which comes into public use to be made accessible to elderly people. If, for any reason, it is difficult to use an ICT-based service, then personal service must always to available as an alternative. ICT can improve the contact which elderly people have with their younger relatives. This could provide a greater feeling of security as well as, perhaps, making the work of caring staff easier. ICTs can be used to support the following activities that can improve the lifestyle of the elderly and also enable them to interact with the community and with each other.  Mobile phone and internet services  24 hour helpline – for safety and security  Linkage of volunteers  Information services – welfare, travel, pilgrimage, picnics  Nutrition education and diet counselling  Availability and supply of appropriate processed foods  Cultural events, recreation clubs, library and reading groups. Public Health Elderly people are the largest user group within the public health and care services. A happy and healthy ageing should be the cornerstone of public health programmes for the elderly. ICTs can prove to be valuable assisting health professionals and workers who can provide instant medical test reports and diagnose minor ailments of the elderly. A novel health initiative in Kerala provides door-to-door visits by health and paramedical staff who conduct medical tests for sugar levels and heart check-up for the elderly without them undertaking tedious journey to hospitals. The reports are also stored in the hospital records in case patients are referred for treatment of serious health problems. ICTs can create networks of the following health care for the elderly.  Domiciliary care – mobile health care  Telemedicine and telecare  Home help and nursing care networks  Day care centres The healthcare sector today is undergoing big structural changes and deregulation closely linked to IT development such as the development of mobile services and mobile devices. 79 WELL-BEING OF ELDERLY There are growing demands for home-based service and medical assistance such as telemedicine and telecare which will be beneficial to healthcare of the elderly. Smart-Home Technology The increase in migration has led to many of the elderly to lead lonely lives away from the company of their children or their family. The disabled elderly finds little assistance even in performing daily routine tasks. Many of the advanced countries with a rising elderly population are developing smart home technologies for the use of the elderly. Some of these technologies are:  Electronic door opener  Window opener  Cooker alarm  Safety alarm Computer a Aitive Technology for Diabled Elderly There are a whole range of possibilities to adapt technology to the needs of people with disabilities. In such cases we call the technology, assistive technology. Computers as assistive technology open up great opportunities to improve the quality of life. The disabled elderly due top restricted mobility is dependent on family or community volunteers for several tasks. ICTs can play a supportive role in enabling the disabled elderly to access services easily and with limited assistance. They can be used as:  Memory aid (health visits, medicine dosages)  Automatic typewriter (word processing programmes)  Information search tool  Reading newspaper/literature For an elderly person without disabilities the computer can be an advanced automatic typewriter through different word-processing programmes and an advanced tool for information search. For an elderly person with disabilities a computer as assistive technology can give him/her opportunities that would be impossible without the computer. Even with disability one can communicate, write and draw – activities that would have been difficult or even impossible without the computer. The computer opens up new possibilities to the elderly to take charge of their own lives and thus gain a new sense of empowerment. ICT is more important for people with disabilities than healthy people. It is not a question of doing the same things more quickly or in a simpler way with the aid of ICT. It is a question of being 80 WELL-BEING OF ELDERLY able to perform tasks independently. Examples are everyday activities such as reading a newspaper, writing a letter, making a telephone call, opening a door, switching on the television, working and studying. Challenge and Opportunitie The developing countries including India will be faced with difficult situations in implementing ICTs for the elderly as it involves questions of cost and access in a population of which nearly one-fourth lives below the poverty line. Considerable efforts and investment are needed, both in the short and long term to provide ICTs access and service to the elderly. Some challenges for the policy-makers will revolve around the following issues:  Cost and access to ICTs  Financial investment – FDI  Useful content in daily life  Local languages  Community forums for greater social contact  Human resources to manage services  Cooperation between various sectors, government, business, citizens, academics, NGOs and policy-makers. Public Policy Future public policy must focus on the following core issues in order to ensure a smooth transition of the people into old age. Ageing is inevitable but few seem prepared for this important and challenging phase of life. More research is needed in the following areas to generate data and identify the needs of the elderly.  Old age life education  ICTs training for the elderly  ICTs in day-care centres, libraries, recreation centres, religious centres.  Resource database on elderly for community service  Telemedicine and telecare  Linkage of volunteers in elderly care services  E-governance initiatives on elderly welfare 81 WELL-BEING OF ELDERLY Concluion The ageing process brings several limitations: there is a deterioration of sigh, hearing and cognitive faculties. Therefore, the technology must be simple to learn and use. Indeed, the elderly could benefit from ICT products as they become easier to use. There is a need for basic education and information about ICT aimed at the needs of elderly people and their relatives, as well as staff within the healthcare and home-help services. Greater sensitisation and public education campaigns in all mass media and community forums can supplement in the efforts of local government, Panchayati Raj, NGOs and community organisations in promoting the welfare of the elderly. Reference 1. Crimmins E. M. (2015). Lifespan and Healthspan: Past, Present, and Promise. The Gerontologist, 55(6), 901–911. 2. Census of India (2011). HH-5 Households with number of aged persons 60 years and above by sex and household size, https://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/HHSeries/hh_series_tables_20011.html 3. United Nations Population Fund. (2017). ‘Caring for Our Elders: Early Responses’ India Ageing Report – 2017. UNFPA, New Delhi, India. 4. Chakrabarti, S., & Sarkar, A. (2011). Pattern and trend of population ageing in India. The Indian Journal of Spatial Science, 2(2), 1-11. 5. Canudas-Romo, V., Saikia, N., & Diamond-Smith, N. (2016).The contribution of agespecific mortality towards male and female life expectancy differentials in India and selected States, 1970-2013.Asia-Pacific Population Journal, 30(2), 1-20. 82