This is what growing old in rural India looks like

BY ANOUSHKA SAXENA

A rapidly ageing population is casting its shadow over rural India. As per the National Ageing Report, 2023, released by UNFPA, the advancements in healthcare may have improved life expectancy, but they have also brought a different set of challenges for the elderly living in rural areas.

A worrying feature is the condition of old women. Gender disparities that exist across all ages become more acute as women age, leaving them vulnerable to the harsh realities of poverty and isolation.

Widowed and alone, many elderly women find themselves at the mercy of fate, with limited support and resources to sustain them during the last years of their life. Their high dependence upon their families for daily needs makes them more helpless and miserable.

As it is, 70% of India’s elderly live in rural areas, and lack access to adequate healthcare and support systems. Income insecurity, poor roads and lack of proper transport adds to their woes.

Their miseries increases with a decline in their functional abilities. With every passing year, daily activities such as eating, bathing, dressing, mobility, use of the toilet becomes more and more difficult.

According to the UNFPA report, one in five elderlies suffer from at least one or other form of ADL (Activities of Daily Living) issues. The two most common difficulties, the report said, are getting in or out of bed and using toilets.

The rise in life expectancy therefore comes with its extra share of woes. Villagers are living longer – the average life expectancy has gone up to 78 – but with the added burden of sickness.

The loss of one’s spouse adds to the miseries of the surviving partner. They find it increasingly difficult to lead normal lives with their partner gone. In the case of women, emotional stress is worsened by financial insecurity and dependence on the next of kin.

There is also the phenomenon of the younger generation migrating to cities for employment and a better life. This leaves the elderly women alone, without the support of their spouse and children. They have no option but to manage their material and physical needs on their own.

It is true that there is no such thing as retirement age in rural India. Most elderly, especially the men, continue to work in the fields or in the informal sector as long as their health allows them.  But this too affects their health and mental well-being.

There is an urgent need to address the vulnerabilities of this section of the population, especially the aged women.

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