We never had such a high proportion of older people in our society, According to a 2016 report by the ministry for statistics and programme implementation, India has 103.9 million elderly people above age 60 which is about 8.5 per cent of the population (reliant on the 2011 census), is expected to go up to 19 % in 2050. The number is set to grow three-fold from around 100 million at present to 300 million by 2050. The country now faces the major challenge of how to take care of such a large population of senior citizens.
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. People retire after a certain age, once they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, or when bodily conditions no longer allow the person to work any longer. The idea behind a mandatory retirement age was to remove the work burden of older people. But it affects older people's right to work if they so choose. They may experience a loss of both status and income on retirement. They may also miss the social contact of their working days and the feeling of making a contribution to society.
Elders are the living history of society and we really need to see the elderly as a potential learning medium, rather than as a burden. Strategies and systems put in place to benefit the elderly by utilising their knowledge, skills and experience can also help in the socio-economic development of the country. We should have such an environment with facilities and services to suit their personal need, capacity and taste. Today’s youth should be able to plan for their happy old age and today’s elders should get dignified and care for a life full of happiness.
