Checking through policies the key to successful

Ageing: From cell to self

ABSTRACT:
Many people see ageing as a time of cognitive and physical decline. For the past three
decades, most scientists and the general public have accepted this negative age-stereotype
as the norm, but unfortunately this view is now challenged. Therefore, in my paper I have
talked about various policies that have been implemented by the countries mainly India, UK
and China to deal with the aged population. As old age is more a biological construction than
psychological and physical. New findings show that well being and a positive view of ageing
are major protective factors against the effects of age on the organism. Therefore, in my
paper I have tried to deal also with he loopholes of the policies, the discrimination on the
basis of gender and socio-economic structure. And lastly, have talked about the pre-
retirement counseling and seeing ageing as a positive phenomenon rather than looking it
down and bringing some negative constructions in mind about it.

KEY WORDS: Ageing, Policies, gerontology, age-stereotype, gender, diseases, community,

support.

The world is growing old fast. In the next 10 years, the number of people over age
60 will surpass one billion. Over the last 30 years, the field of ageing has been a
sign of exceptional growth of research interest, yet it is only really within more
recent social gerontology that the many varied experiences of older people are
being acknowledged and explored through the intersection of race, ethnicity,
sexuality, class, and as many have argued, most importantly gender. Through time
everything has changed fast but the perception towards ageing or old age has not
changed at all. Old age is more a biological construction rather than a physiological
and psychological construction. Ageing in twenty-first century, is both a celebration
and a challenge. It makes the case for governments, NGOs, global institutions, and
civil society to fully commit to a concerted global effort to realign 21 st century
society to fit the realities of 21st century demographies (UNFPA and HelpAge
International; 2012; 12). Today in the developed world, average life expectancy is
increasing. So eventually, there will be an increase in the number of retired people
who will receive a pension. There will be a smaller proportion of young adults so a
smaller working populations. A greater burden on working adults, the demand for
healthcare will rise and young adults will have to look after elderly relatives. Seeing
this, the government has also formulated certain policies and made a structure
which is helpful to them.

The gradual increase of old population in developed countries is really alarming.

This will lead to a variety of negative impacts on their people and society that
measures need to be introduced immediately to tackle this problem. In our modern
society, many developed countries are dealing with burdens from their ageing
populations. More people age, more working population decreases. It is clearly to
see that the proportion between young adults and retired people is declining
considerably. Therefore, governments must spend more budgets for pension
whereas adults must spend much more time and money in order to look after their
old relatives. Furthermore, the demand for medical services of this population
increases which may affect to the budges for other age groups.

Today, developing nations are standing at a critical crossroads in confronting the

issues of ageing that must be addressed if social and economic developments are to
make fast progress. Various examination of the ageing of the population suggests
distinctive features among the developing nations that will tend to make the
process different from those experienced earlier by todays developed nations.
Unlike the West, the mechanism that enhanced the ageing of the population in the
developing world is somewhat induced. Thus, the designs of the ageing policies of
countries like India are not supposed to alter the basic process of population ageing,
but should be directed to issue that arise from it. The most important issue that
arise from the ageing process is how best to provide economic and social support
for older persons.1

Many solutions should be taken to solve these problems. In developed countries,

governments, with the help of excellent medical systems, can rise the retired ages
so they still both have their contribution with many precious experiences and take
the big burden on the pension budget away. Developed countries are facing ageing
population which caused severe social problems. For instance, employment, higher
pension expenses, social welfare and health care and so on. However, this situation
of ageing population is the direct achievement of medical, education improvement
and economy development as well. The improvement is also the result of public
health affairs, such as drinking health, solving malnutrition, infectious, parasitic
diseases and reducing maternal and child mortality rates (Nord; 2016).

A good interaction between family members is significant enough for a safe old age,
but reduced family size are raising questions about the ability of the family to
perform its role to look after aged persons. It is indeed a matter of concern. People
may have to retire later and the state pension age will rise. People should be
encouraged to have more children and governments could encourage immigration
in order to increase the number of young adults. Therefore there was decided for a
combined help from the family, the state and the economy. With old age, comes a
negative connotation of the degrading health. People often associate old age to be
troublesome rather than a break which can instill one to start afresh. With the given

1 For further discussions, see, Population Policy for the Aged in India by Aparajita
Chattopadhay, VOL/NO.- 31/43, 2004.
population, the age between 60-90 hold a large number of people, which is really a
matter of concern of the state. General problems that the aged people face are
related to heart, blood pressure, deficiencies of certain minerals or vitamins and
chronic problems like dementia, weak eye-sight, loss of memory and depression
with poor cognitive impairment.

As regards to intervention in health, the commonest demand is the provision of

costly medicine and medical service at subsidized rates even in private clinics and
hospitals, followed by the demand to take responsibility of high-risk elderly groups
like the destitute and the disabled. Low technology home-care services that can
supplement family care in cases where an aged-person has none or if the care giver
is too aged, have also been suggested as one of the ways of taking care of the
disabled (Grundy; 2011; 53).

In an article named Ageing in a Crisis another useful suggestion, mainly raised by

civil servants, is a periodic campaign on old-age health disorders like Alzheimers
disease, heart complications and Parkinsons disease. Government sponsored
health insurance scheme where the benefits could reach to all sections of the
elderly irrespective of their financial status. Even though national policy for the
elderly 1988, has assured the aged about the regularity of revision of monthly
pension rates taking into consideration inflation figures, many of the old aged
people said that the assurance is only on paper. They themselves then voiced for
the demand of full-time or part-time jobs mainly to those who are in need and to
render financial support to destitute elderly persons.

The aged people also requested for a possible residential structure, where they
could live properly, this visionary model talks about a community old-age home
based on the concept of a cooperative society. This society would provide them the
medical facility, but they would share the expenses. The socio-economic structure is
not a balanced one in India. There have been marked differences in this and
therefore it has caused a clear dichotomy between rich and poor. Again the policies
that are made are available to very few of the aged population, in most of the cases
they do not percolate down to all the spheres of the society and help the poor.
Again with this another stark differentiation that gets added is the gender
differentiation. Often in this society, which is always based on the principal of
inequality, the female partners suffer a lot. Mostly in the lower echelon of the
society, their health is never a matter of concern and as the domestic workers don
not come in the periphery of the national income, so most of the policies do not
take them into account.

Policies of India are seen in contrast with that of china. In the early 1970s, when
China began to universally implement a family planning program, no one
considered its negative consequences on population and development in Chinas
future. A decisive document involving the one-child policy, called, the Public
Letter of Central Government, published in 1980, stated that the phenomenon of
ageing will not appear within this century if they implement one-child policy in
China.2 Due to the sudden drop in fertility in China, initiated and promoted by the
government, the change in the age structure has exceeded the changes in social
economy and the institution, including the changes of conventions and traditions of
Chinese society. The impact will be profound, and the conflicts between them will be
inevitable and incredible. However, as economic reform evolves toward a market
economy, traditional ways to secure the elderly have confronted serious problems.
The government started giving up the right to plan and control enterprises, which
also means giving up the obligations. The survival of the enterprises, including the
people who are affiliated with them, has to depend on their own development. Since
the early 1990s, some of the enterprises have faced a depression. Due to lower
benefits, enough money did not exist to pay the income of the workers, which led to
some lay-off.3 Because of the difficulties in paying the working people of the unit,
it was more difficult to pay the people who had retired. Unfortunately, both the
government and the people have not realized the severity of the aging problem in
China. Although some barriers do exist in dealing with this problem, it is still not too
late. (Qiao; 2001; pp-9)

Coming back to the Indian scenario, India has however tried to make certain policies
for the aged population, which is the need of the hour and eventually implement
them:

1. Formation of special firms and sheltered workplaces specializing in lighter

works and welfare activities where the elderly who are physically fit or in
need of some employment.
2. It is necessary to arrange a monthly medical check-up in municipal and
governmental hospitals in a cost effective manner at least for those who get
less pension.
3. With the family size in urban areas shrinking, low technology home care
services can also be encouraged to supplement family care, as it is far less
costly than investing in aged institutions.

Although efforts are being made to deal with the problems across Europe and
beyond, no single country has the answers, as the recent reports of the Care
2 The document of the Central Government was published as a letter in Guangming
Daily in September 1980, which is a symbol of the beginning of the one-child policy.
It expressed that, in order to curb the population to within 1.2 billion at the end of
the 20th century, the government called all the people I China to advocate having
one child per couple.

3 This is not exactly unemployment. The number of lay-off indicates the people
who still belong to the enterprises, but have no work to perform. Some of them can
receive a small amount of life expenses from their enterprises while some have
nothing.
 Quality Commission on failures in care for older people have highlighted older
people.

1. Declaration on the European year for active ageing and solidarity between
generations.
2. Minister of pensions- dollar 1 million to help people who are at risk of long
term loneliness and isolation.
3. DWP commissioned the Ageing well program and implemented it in
partnership with the local Government Association.

Ageing Report-Underlying Assumptions and projection methodologies 2015, also

provide some valuable instructions and properties of the report which would help in
safeguarding the aged people and providing them full support, care and protection
in the society. The Madrid international plan on ageing:

a. To consider ageing as a part of all government policy.

b. To help older people to participate in society to promote equitable and
sustainable economic growth in response to population ageing.
c. To promote life-long learning and adapt the educational system in order to
meet the changing economic, social and demographic conditions.

At last in my paper, I have tried to talk about ageing and seeing it in a more
positive manner. Ageing is a natural phenomenon, so one should try to deal with
it as a part of everyday life. A working person should be understood properly and
make planning for the post-retirement phase from much before. Various
industrial counselors help one to deal with this phase properly and help one to
plan accordingly. Therefore, the pre-retirement counseling is very important now.
In the fast world, with the fast pace of life it becomes very difficult to get a bit
out of the track and think ones life beyond the race of life. So after the
retirement, that time needs to be utilized efficiently. Either one works or one
plans to lead a free life staying back at home and enjoying the support of the
young generation, it is solely his/her decision. One should take the call
accordingly and the young generation must extend their helping hands in
helping the aged population to deal effectively with their life. What otherwise
happens is, depression slowly engulfs them, which leads to cognitive impairment
and like a slow poisoning pushes one to towards death. So it is the time to be
more aware and to be more cautious in helping the wiser population to lead a
peaceful life, by supporting them and making them realize that they would be an
example for the future generation to successfully cope up with the situation.
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11. Additional help from Google for some policy dates.