W B Yeats’ iconic opening line of the poem ‘ Sailing to Byzantium’, 1926, declares on a sad note ‘that is no country for old men’. In a systematically developed series of images the poet unravels the contexts of growing old and highlights how aging often evolves into irrelevance rather than a value for wisdom.
The theme has later been developed into equally powerful works of art and cinema such as Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel and the Coen Brothers’ 2007 film adaptation, both of which explore the theme of aging and the difficulty of maintaining relevance in a rapidly changing world. Since 14 December 1990, when the United Nations General Assembly designated October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons, there has been growing awareness of the necessity of recognizing the importance of the older persons as stakeholders in the collective development of the society.
Contemporary statistics on world population reveal that the number of older people (defined as those aged 65 years or older) tripled from around 260 million in 1980 to 761 million in 2021. Between 2021 and 2050, the global share of the older population is projected to increase from less than 10 per cent to around 17 per cent. The number of people aged 60 years or over has more than doubled, from around 541 million in 1995 to 1.2 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050. By 2080, persons aged 65 or older will outnumber children under 18.
This surge in the population of the older persons is ascribed to the fact that global life expectancy has reached 73.5 years in 2025, an increase of 8.6 years since 1995 largely due to advances in geriatric care and greater reach of medical management of age-related issues. It is common knowledge that as populations age, the demand for healthcare and social support surges, especially for those with conditions like dementia, a major cause of dependency and disability in older adults. Specialized care is now essential to meet these growing needs. Also, women, who comprise most care recipients and caregivers, contribute roughly 70 per cent of global informal care hours.
This is especially true in low- and middle-income countries with limited care services, making women more vulnerable to poverty in old age. In societies with aging populations, it is crucially important to adjust to the increasing number of elderly individuals who possess a diverse range of functional capacities. The capability to carry out essential functions and partake in everyday activities is influenced not solely by an individual’s inherent talent and abilities but also by the social and physical environments in which they reside. Supportive environments play a pivotal role in assisting older individuals to maintain their activity levels and independence as they progress in age.
While the issues concerning older persons are universally acknowledged, there is a general realization that society as a collective entity is increasingly failing to accommodate older persons in its fold largely due to the erroneous assumption that values of individuals are dictated more by their economic output than by their inherent and intrinsic value as individuals who bring life skills, wisdom and avenues of mental support to the young. The result of this misplaced priority is often turning devastating for the older persons.
Not only are they generally sidelined in a priority scale, increasing resources required to cater to their health issues are often considered as burdens for which there would be no material return. Even when there are no financial commitments required to cater to the health issues of older persons, equally crucial issues of social and value compatibility in a rapidly evolving society often blindside the older persons who are relegated to negligence or even pushed out into professional geriatric care settings such as old age homes . Tragically, such individuals are forced to lead lonely lives even in the presence of blood relatives and networks of close friends.
It is universally accepted that though we are midway through the United Nations-mandated ‘ Decade of Healthy Ageing ’ (2021-2030), most identified priorities in this sector are yet to gain importance in global policy or intervention frameworks. There is an urgent necessity of bringing together governments, civil society, international agencies, professionals, academia, the media, and the private sector for sustained, concerted, catalytic and collaborative action to improve the lives of older people, their families, and the communities in which they live.
Two common indicators of poor priority in this sector is the fact that only eleven countries across the world have specialized budgetary provision stocaterto the requirements of the aged persons, leaving an overwhelming majority of such persons under the mercy of inadequate non-governmental interventions , random and ineffectual health care provisions, lack of insurance coverage to ameliorate the financial burden of declining health and a general lack of social safety networks leaving such persons at the receiving end of criminal activities. Relentless negligence and adversities often push the aged persons to develop mental health issues which adds to the already growing challenges faced by them.
Four critical areas of intervention are immediately called for irrespective of the standards of economy senior citizens may live in. Institutionalization of age-friendly environment muchas encouragement for the aged to contribute and participate meaningfully in social action and incentivizing their participation is the call of the hour. Equally important is combating the social stigma of ‘ageism’ which tend to stereotype , prejudiced and discriminate people based on their age through awareness, especially in educational institutions since young learners are in the best position to psychologically appreciate the role and importance of the senior citizens in collective social scenarios.
Integrated and comprehensive social and health support systems can significantly contribute in taking away an inevitable worry among the aged as their health develops the inevitable challenge . Also, micro-level capacity building and ensure meaningful social engagement can work wonders in integrating the aged citizens into the social mainstream. With an increasing population across most countries of the world, our senior citizens face universal problems which can neither be pushed aside nor relegated in the scale of priorities.
Their problems can never be isolated problems since issues facing the age d population generally encompass not only the old but also the young. The burden of today’s neglect of the senior population shall inevitably pass on to the rest of society unless adequate and timely provisions are made to address their concerns. Leveraging resources, sharing learning and experience, supporting diffusion of policy and concrete action are the need of the hour as we engage an increasing aging population around our midst.
(The writer is Assistant Professor, Pritilata Waddedar Mahavidyalaya, Nadia.)