The need of the hour: ASHA for elderly

Source: This post is based on the article “The need of the hour: ASHA for elderly” published in the Indian Express on 26th July 2022.

Syllabus: GS 2 – mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

Relevance: About the challenges faced by the elderly in India.

News: The United Nations’ “World Population Prospects” highlights the continuing growth of the population in the coming decades is largely driven by increasing life expectancy, rather than babies being born.

How much has the life expectancy improved?

During the time of Independence, the life expectancy was around 30 years. The population projections suggest that the country is already home to 30 million persons who are 75 or older. The World Population Prospects estimates there will be nearly 100 million persons older than 75 in India in 2039.

What are the vulnerabilities faced by older people?

1) Elderly people require vast sums of money, (out-of-pocket expenses), for the diverse types of care they required, 2) Threat of Dementia: It is a condition associated with ageing and resulting from progressive degeneration of the brain. Dementia poses an enormous burden of care as one gradually loses the ability to care for oneself and to think, plan and behave in a rational way. A private study reported that about 8% of the elderly population over 75 in India was afflicted by this condition.

3) Reduction in caregivers: India’s traditional multi-generational families could be relied upon for caregiving. The population transition has been accompanied by dramatic changes in the family structure, so an increasing proportion of the elderly will live only with their elderly spouse or alone.

4) There is no comprehensive, community-based, care system for elders. Families have to make their own arrangements through out-of-pocket payments for each service which is needed.

5) Civic infrastructure, such as public transport, is insensitive to the needs of persons with different abilities and elders with disabling conditions.

What should be done to improve the lives of the elderly?

India’s celebrated Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) have been singularly responsible not only for the dramatic reductions in maternal and infant mortality contributing to increased life expectancy but also for achieving impressive Covid vaccination coverage.

The ASHA program is a template for building a community-based workforce, anchored in the large and growing network of government Health and Wellness Centres across the country. This can be utilised to support the diverse health and social care needs of elders.

As the population projections show, India is rich with human resources and many are young and looking for work, the government could empower working-age adults who are jobless in the service of elders.