“I still use checkbooks at the bank and don’t own credit cards, debit cards, or any net banking app,” says R. Sampathkumar, an octogenarian from Chennai. A retired deputy manager from Indian Oil Corporation, he is recovering from knee surgery performed seven months ago. He lives with his wife in Chromepet and receives a Rs.5,300 annuity from Life Insurance Corporation.
Dependent on his children for most needs, he tells Frontline that people often forget about seniors like him. “Public facilities aren’t planned with old people in mind. The railway station near my house has no escalators, so I must climb stairs whenever I travel. It’s really tough for me.” The digital divide, he adds, makes things even harder.
For 81-year-old H. Jayam, leaving her house is a daily challenge. She suffers from joint pain that restricts her movements. A former private school teacher, she tells Frontline: “I used to walk in the park before COVID-19 but had to stop because of my health.” Diabetic for several years, she underwent dialysis in 2014. Now in better health, she keeps busy with simple household chores and cooking for her family. “I’m happy I can still help them, even at this age,” she says.
Countless senior citizens across the country relate to their experiences.
On October 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a health insurance scheme for all senior citizens aged 70 and above, regardless of income, under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). The scheme aims to “overcome the despair of the poor when illness strikes”, with the government covering hospital expenses for beneficiaries up to Rs.5 lakh.
Indians have long considered themselves superior to much of the world in treating the elderly, citing mythological stories to show respect for the old. Sadly, modern facts do not bear this out. An Observer Research Foundation (ORF) paper published in September 2024, titled “Caring for the Elderly: Need for a Sensitive Approach”, states that “40 per cent of elderly people in India are in the poorest wealth quintile, while about one-fifth have no income”.
The Longitudinal Ageing Survey of India (LASI) 2020, conducted between April 2017 and December 2018, found that “at least five per cent of the elderly had faced abuse, some from those closely related to them”. This figure is especially alarming given the growing elderly population.
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According to Census 2011, India has approximately 103 million elderly citizens, accounting for 8.6 per cent of the population. (The government defines people aged 60 and above as “elderly”.) More recent estimates show a dramatic rise: the “India Ageing Report 2023” by the United Nations Population Fund, released in September 2023, estimates the country’s elderly population at 153 million, projecting that it could more than double by 2050.
This demographic shift will likely have wide economic and social implications, affecting productivity, labour markets, healthcare costs, and social support systems. S. Irudaya Rajan, chairperson of the International Institute of Migration and Development, Kerala, has researched India’s elderly population and tells Frontline that healthcare costs will rise as senior citizens are more susceptible to chronic illnesses, disabilities, and age-related issues. “Treating these conditions requires specialised care, home health services, and skilled medical personnel, placing a financial burden on healthcare systems,” he says.
A report by the real estate services firm CBRE notes that “many seniors face financial barriers in accessing healthcare due to escalating costs, necessitating the implementation of financial planning solutions like insurance and retirement funds”. Mala Kapur Shankardass, a gerontologist and health social scientist, says that the country lacks adequate specialised care. “The need for geriatric care facilities is acute,” she says.
Meera Khanna, executive vice president and trustee of Guild of Services, a non-profit organisation, adds that there are currently “around 12 hospitals with geriatric wards” in the country, insufficient for an elderly population of around 150 million. Shankardass stresses the need for affordable assistive devices such as hearing aids, mobility aids, and medication management tools. Rajan mentions that telemedicine, especially for those with mobility issues, enables elders to connect with healthcare providers. “Wearable devices like heart rate monitors, blood pressure cuffs, and glucose monitors enhance preventive care and allow quick responses to health issues,” he says.
The need for specialised home-based services for ailing senior citizens has placed a burden on healthcare systems. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Despite India’s pride in its cultural respect for elders, the state must do more to ensure they are cared for. Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and Principal Adviser to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme, says that “the Centre must lead in formulating elderly care policies, with State governments following suit”. She also calls for policies to address the needs of elderly people from marginalised communities.
K.R. Gangadharan, former President of the International Federation on Ageing, identifies three urgent areas: financial security, health security, and basic care. Discussing financial autonomy, Venkatesan Thiruvenkataswamy, 88, a retired physician, tells Frontline that the government should “work toward ensuring all senior citizens are supported by pension schemes. I see many elders abandoned and without income. This must change.” He adds that he is “unhappy” with the current level of government support.
To increase financial autonomy, Shankardass suggests that the retirement age should rise. “A retirement age of 58 to 60 is not realistic,” she says. “With current life expectancies, many people may live 25 years without formal employment income.” She also emphasises that pensions are essential for elderly well-being.
As with many welfare schemes, pensions primarily benefit men. The ORF paper notes that “there are more elderly women than men, with 1,065 elderly females per 1,000 elderly males”. It also found that “68.3 per cent of women between 60–75 years and 73.3 per cent of women over 75 have never attended school, while only eight per cent completed primary school”. This gender disparity is concerning, as women generally live longer than men. Khanna points out that widowhood compounds the challenges of ageing, leaving elderly women especially vulnerable due to inadequate pensions and lack of income.
Digital literacy
The Agewell Foundation, an NGO working for elderly welfare since 1999, has conducted digital literacy workshops across the country for nearly a decade. Founder and CEO Himanshu Rath tells Frontline: “I’ve seen upper- and middle-class elders attending these workshops. Despite outreach efforts, lower-middle and working-class elders remain uninterested.” The workshops train participants in using apps like WhatsApp, phone cameras, and banking apps. With the digitisation of services, he says, equipping the elderly with digital skills is essential.
A report by HelpAge India found that only four per cent of senior citizens use the internet, while 60 per cent of urban elders felt their children lacked time to help them become digitally literate.
Silver Economy on the rise
The “silver economy”—focussed on goods and services for people over 50—is often overlooked. Rath sees it as an untapped market. “This is roughly 35 per cent of the population with a higher disposable income than the other 65 per cent,” he says.
Recognising this potential, private firms now offer specialised services to meet seniors’ emotional needs. Goodfellows, a start-up launched in 2022 and funded by the late Ratan Tata, offers companionship for elders living alone. The start-up operates on a freemium model: seniors pay from the second month to book sessions with “goodfellows”—empathetic young graduates trained to connect with the elderly.
Experts argue that for the welfare of the elderly, the legal age of retirement must increase as life expectancy rates across the country have increased. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Rajan adds that elder-focussed healthcare, digital health services, and telemedicine could stimulate economic development through job creation and investment in health tech and pharmaceuticals. Age-friendly infrastructure could also enhance economic participation, allowing older professionals to remain active in the job market through flexible roles, consulting, and mentorship.
Rajan feels policymakers must allocate resources to improve data collection and research on ageing, informing future programs. He highlights examples from countries like Japan, where “integrated healthcare systems focus on geriatrics and preventive care”. Japan promotes continuous employment until age 65, while the US and Canada have invested in telemedicine to improve healthcare access for seniors. European countries like Sweden offer flexible work arrangements to keep seniors in the workforce. Age-friendly urban planning in cities like Copenhagen further underscores the importance of accessible infrastructure for seniors.
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The ORF paper concludes: “India must adopt sensitive policies to address the economic, health, and social needs of the elderly.” Khanna tells Frontline, “We need a shift in how we view the elderly. They should be seen as assets, not burdens.”
As the population continues to age, addressing these challenges will be critical to ensuring a dignified life for its elderly citizens, so that people like Sampathkumar or Jayam can rely on public support rather than solely on family to meet their needs. Respect for our elders should not only be a cultural ideal but a societal reality. It is time for individuals, communities, and policymakers to come together to make this vision of elder care a priority.
