Psycho Social Challenges for the Elderly in Urban Areas A Social Work Perspective

Abstract

Population ageing is one of the most distinctive demographic events of the contemporary world. Initially experienced in the more developed countries, the process is now rapidly approaching the developing world. In India, the elderly account for 7% of the total population, of which two-thirds live in villages and nearly half of them in poor conditions. Urbanization, nuclearization of family, migration and dual career families are making care of the elderly more and more of a personal and social problem in India. With the decline in fertility and mortality rates accompanied by an improvement in child survival and increased life expectancy, a significant feature of demographic change is the progressive increase in the number of elderly persons. Increasing life span and poor health care add to the degree of disability among the elderly and compound the problems of care giving. newline