In our Block there are many aged couples who live alone. Their children are either studying or working abroad or in any other part of the country or in the other end of the National Capital Region (NCR). The distance, their lifestyles and other commitments prevent their immediate or urgent presence near their parents in times of need or emergency.
There are aged singles also who live alone. Both the aged, singles and couples, need help in their day to day lives like going to the market, hospital, bank, post office , social gatherings or elsewhere, to do the groceries, for house maintenance and other chores. Most importantly, they need somebody to talk to who can listen to them and understand their problems. It is also an imperative that they should be made part of a forum which disseminates requisite information about what is happening around the world, in the country and in the city to keep them updated and alert and help them through mandatory statutory compliances and make them digitally savvy.
We often read in newspapers that aged couples have been brutally assaulted or murdered by their 24×7 house helps for money , gold etc. Sometimes the dastardly act is done by none other than relatives, close family friends, acquaintances and other regular visitors. The prime target of digital fraudsters are the old people. There are shocking videos going viral on abuse of aged people in care homes which are mostly unregistered.
Though there are NGOs who provide services to the elderly at their homes but these are few and far between. It was extremely disturbing when my mother’s neuropsychiatrist told me that in our country dementia and Alzheimer’s are treated as tertiary ailments which go untreated because these are considered signs of old age and not as a disease to be medically addressed. Most families are not sensitised enough about old age ailments and are also not ready to spend money on medical treatment considering it unnecessary and not worthy of incurring expense because how long will the old parents live ? There are incidents of elderly parents being thrown out of their houses in certain social strata lacking adequate economic means. There are also increasing cases of children sending their parents to old age homes against their wishes to avoid caregiving responsibilities. Going to an Assisted Care Centre should be an individual preference and not a compulsion.
Our country has approximately 150 Million people over 60 years of age. By 2050 the number will touch 347 Million. The joint family system is regarded as the primary institution for the care of the elderly in our society. However, urbanization, migration and women of the household taking up paid jobs have resulted in the gradual breakdown of the joint families in India. Sadly, in our country the parents bring up their children with the expectation that they will be taken care of by their children when they step into old age.
The States have many benevolent schemes for the elderly. However, these are not uniform across the country. Nor are these enforceable by the law. A regulated caregiving system having qualified professionals, standardized services and accountability is absent. No binding quality framework exists for the mostly unregistered care homes and agencies to which the families now turn for support services. There are fewer geriatricians vis a vis the number of elderly in the country.
A comprehensive legislative framework is urgently required to deal with elderly abuse and to facilitate dignified aging. The state is also required to make effective provisions for public assistance in old age. State and community based care is the right and entitlement of the old to live with dignity.
We must as a society acknowledge and work towards it.
Information Source : Article by Barkha Deva in Hindustan Times dated 21.08.2026. Barkha Deva works on policy on aging and social legislation.
This is part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2026
Sadly, it’s the same here. We lack facilities by this situations, especially that our national budget is always realign to aid support for calamities plus corruption. Grrr😅 Having children is not guaranteed that they care for their parents when they sick. That’s the hard truth.
It makes me relieve who decided to be child-free, but still only God knows our fate.
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Yes, Hazel. We have to therefore make ourselves self reliant and adequately informed to live a quality life.
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Geeta Di, आपने एक ऐसे विषय पर लिखा हे जो हमारे समाज में एक social crisis का रूप ले चुकी हे.
मेरा मानना हे कि हमें उस जड़ तक पहुंचना चाहिए कि विदेशी मुल्कों में ऐसा क्या हे कि हमारे बचे घर और मां,बाप को छोड़ रहे हे.
रोज़गार की कमी और विदेश में जिंदगी की बेहतर सहूलियत शायद एक वजह हे..
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नुसरत आज के जेनरेशन का ये मानना है कि विदेशों में बेहतर जिंदगी और बेहतर नौकरी मिलती है। The quality of life is far superior. This is a debatable issue. However, those who stay here are also not always able to be with their parents for various reasons. Vice versa parents also don’t prefer to stay with their children. Everybody wants their own independence and choice of life. Whatever the individual choice be the elderly should be able to live with dignity and basic facilities.
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You are right,Geeta Di
The elders should live a life of dignity,I hope the government and NGO’s work towards making their life better.
Our religion has given emphasis on taking care of neighbours as may be the case with other religions,so in Mohallas or Colonies we can have commitees which at least ensure the old people living alone are alive.
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This is a very good suggestion Nusrat which is founded on community based care.
There is also a social scheme wherein the police have to take rounds of the colonies and enquire after the elderly couples whether they are ok and whether they need any assistance. However, this scheme is not uniformly implemented in all the localities. Also the fact remains that there are lesser number of police who are already overburdened with criminal complaints. So they cannot deploy personnel for social services.
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An universal situation
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Sadly, Derrrick.
Thank you so much 🙏
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I agree that more should be done to care for the elderly. Oftentimes, they are left to deal with their health and limited mobility without any support. I hope that our governments can begin to put more programs in place to assist.
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It is a general feeling in our country that the West is better equipped with an effective elderly care system.
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Well, that’s not entirely true. Our elder care system here in the states is lacking in services and expensive for those who don’t have insurance to help cover costs.
Speaking from experience, when my elderly in-laws were declining, we had a very hard time finding assistance for them. My mother-in-law had to be placed in a memory care facility that my wife and I had to pay for out of pocket and we could barely afford it.
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Yes, the medical expenses without insurance coverage are not bearable anywhere.
I think it’s a generic view that the old having outgrown their utility is no longer the responsibility of the day government. That is why the responsibility is delegated to families who are not always equipped to provide the care required. Just a thought. I don’t know whether I am correct in thinking that. Thanks for the eye opening input.
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Geeta ji, I caught up on all your blog posts in one sitting. Wow! Thoroughly enjoyed.
To this post, I have aged parents in India living alone. It is really hard for them ti uproot their life and move from their 70 year old home. .
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I agree. Even I wouldn’t like to settle down some place else now that I am so used to being here at home. That is another dilemma for the children who keep worrying about their aged parents from far off. It’s happening in my family too.
Thanks for taking time out to read all the posts Ganga.
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So true dear friend. This is becoming a huge concern with passing years.
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True, dear Sadje. It’s alarming to find that it’s a global trend.
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Yes it is and even our eastern culture is changing too.
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Sadly, yes Sadje because social fluidity has increased. People move across the globe, especially, youth, in search of better opportunities.
Our country lack the incentive of retaining them.
On the other hand, the older generation is deeply entrenched in the soil and does not want to be uprooted.
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So very true Geeta. It’s unfortunate that when older people need their family members to give them support, they are in another country.
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This brings in so much thoughts to my mind. Old-age, the loneliness that sets in at that time apart the physical ailments, is never easy and with policies that are pretty much non-existent it only aggravates the situation. I see assisted homes mushrooming across the city but they are extremely expensive and only meant for the upper strata of the society-again it should be a choice and with nuclear families the problems manifold.
As I grow older I cannot help thinking about what awaits; honestly, it never bothered me much earlier and I used to be happy with the idea of being alone and only now have I understood it was brought about by years of cynicism and disappointments (not just what I faced, but what I consciously and subconsciously met out to others), but now the idea of being alone scares me and with support groups rather non-existent it only bothers me more.
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These feelings are universal. I am an introvert. In old age to be part of a community is recommended. I find it difficult to interact with strangers. So the fear of loneliness and the dread of ‘what will happen’ stays. I am still trying to figure out where the orbit of life takes me. When I see older people with physical handicaps the first thought that comes to mind is one day I will also be like them. What then? It’s imperative to have companionship when one ages but then the dynamics are complex and not entirely an arrangement one can rush into. And the role of the State being minimal is an additional issue.
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You are right, we all go through this and somehow I feel that the fact we understand the emotions is in a way a recognition and perhaps bracing ourselves although what is come is never known and like you had mentioned earlier to let all these to a power above us. Definitely not all days are the same but knowing that better days await is what makes the not so good ones tolerable. Much like you I am quite introvert, but I have realized I am an extrovert with introverts and an introvert with extroverts 😀 Having a small group of people, as go-to persons or a small support system helps and I think it only happens with time and can never be rushed into.
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There is no joint-family now. It is trashed. The changes in lifestyle, economy is testing the resiliency of family bonds. The bonds between relatives are shattered. No one has time even for casual chat, no one is able to bear with any one else. it is not only Indian problem, it is a global problem. The number of people die without anyone near by is increasing in many countries and we are not an exception. Scary.
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Do I understand you correctly, Geeta? Are there no social services for the elderly or structured homes under government supervision in India?
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As per the source of information there is none
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this is so true. My grandfather could only be taken care by his daughters in the last few days of his alzeheimers’. the faculties are not updated for the elderly.
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Yes, you are right. There is no facility for Alzheimer’s patients in our country
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