Visakhapatnam: Global strategy required to prevent ill-treatment of elderly

Visakhapatnam: Countries are experiencing one of the greatest demographic disruptions in history - the rapid ageing of the population, long-life span and reduced birth rates in particular, will drive an unprecedented growth in the proportion of the 60-plus population, said Rosette Farrugia Bonello, Deputy Director of UN affiliated International Institute on Ageing (INIA) on Saturday.

Delivering a keynote address on 'The impact of demographic change and Covid-19 on older persons' organised by GITAM Deemed to be University School of Gandhian Studies, she mentioned that as people age, their needs for both health and social care are likely to become multifaceted. "Governments around the world are beginning to experiment with new policies to address these challenges and hence have to be prepared and well-equipped to secure the needs of population shifts," she added.

While focussing on Asian countries, she stated that the population of senior citizens is increasing at a fast pace in India. Bonello stressed on offering new opportunities through more research, increased realisation of human potential, development of new care models and creation of new professions such as gerontology.

She also shared instances about the way Covid-19 has impacted the life of senior citizens and their caregivers across the world. In the end, she spoke about a few measures which can be taken to help the elderly to adapt to the new norm and thus encourage them in living a dignified life and there is a need to establish a global strategy for the prevention of the mistreatment of older people.

The session was coordinated by Nidhi Mishra, Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology Department.