In a number of countries, a Senior Citizen is a person in the age group 65 years and above. However, in India, Senior Citizens constitute persons in the age group of 60 years and above. There has been a steady rise in the population of older persons in India, since life expectancy, which was approximately 29 years in 1947, has increased to 69.3 years in 2009–13 for females and 65.8 years for males. India is home to the second largest number of Senior Citizens in the world after China. The number of elderly will account for nearly 9 per cent of the population in 2016. (Source: Human Development Report).

The special features of the elderly population in India are: Majority (80%) of them are in the rural areas, thus making service delivery a challenge; Feminisation of the elderly population; Increase in the number of the older-old (persons above 80 years); A large percentage (30%) of the Senior Citizens is below the poverty line.

The elderly are a vulnerable group due to various reasons. Firstly, health is a major concern for many individuals at this age. The elderly are more vulnerable to disease because of decreased physiological reserves and defence mechanisms. Besides illness, the aging process itself leads to certain disabilities such as low vision and blindness resulting from cataracts, deafness resulting from nerve impairment, loss of mobility from arthritis and a general inability to care for oneself.

Secondly, in the family life cycle for many, this may be a period when they find themselves alone because the children are likely to have moved away from the family either because of marriage or to earn a living. Many may experience feelings of loneliness, isolation and a sense of being a burden on others. Many individuals find themselves financially dependent on the younger generation which may add to their feeling of stress. Further, especially in metropolitan cities, there is fragmentation of the traditional family network and the traditional value system is also undergoing change.

Certain features of city life (small family size, nuclear families, lack of free time to care for the aged, limited living space, high cost of living, long working hours), lead to reduced support within the immediate and extended family. Sometimes concepts like privacy, space, independence, materialism, focus on self are also responsible for the inability to adequately care for the elderly.

The above description should not make you think that there are only problems and difficulties in old age. Many old people continue to live fulfilling lives. In many families the elderly are well respected and continue to find fulfilment. One positive feature concerning the elderly population is that most 60 or more years old are economically active, presumably because they are engaged in sectors for which there is no specific age of retirement.

What is needed is to recognise the elderly as a human resource and their rich experience and residual capacities be put to optimum use for the benefit of national development.