Elder Mental healthcare

Why in the News?

The World Elders Day (1st) and Mental Health Day (10th) has been observed in the month of October, which is significant given the increasingly greying population of India.

Increasing old-age population:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. In the history of humanity, there are more older people on the globe now than ever before. 
                  2. In 2022, the no. of people >60 years was 1.1 billion, comprising 13.9 % of the population, which is expected to increase to 2.1 billion, constituting 22% by 2050.
                  3. A similar trend can be observed in India with 149 million older adults (10.5%) in 2022, which is expected to grow to 347 million (20.8%) by 2050.

Significant social challenges faced by elders:

1. 1. 1. 1. Increased dependency
         2. Social isolation
         3. Poverty
         4. Ageism
         5. Pessimism and nihilism 
         6. Vulnerable to emotional, physical, sexual, and financial abuse by others.
         7. Many towns and cities in India are not “elder-friendly” such as public buildings are inaccessible without ramps or handrails, pavements are non-existent, uneven, or used for parking, and public transport is limited.

Psychological challenges:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Feel lost and becoming unproductive after retirement leads to depression.
                  2. Indulging in other interests in life, be it music, sports, social work, domestic responsibilities etc. from a young age can helps mitigate such situations.

Mental health problems of Elders:

• 1. 1. 1. Roughly 15% of elders (22 million in India) have serious mental illness. 
        2. The common mental health problems faced by elders are depression, anxiety, dementia, and substance use disorders.
        3. The “treatment gap“due to elders with mental illness not seeking treatment stands at a staggering 90% in India. 
        4. Pessimistic attitude among many healthcare professionals about treatment of mental health problems in elders due to low understanding of treatment with cure.
• For instance, there is no cure for a neurodegenerative condition such as dementia, but there are treatments that can reduce their suffering, improve their quality of life, and reduce the burden on families.
  1. 1. 5. Double whammy of stigma: due to ageing and mental illness. Such stigma makes it difficult for families to admit the elder people’s mental illness and also creates reluctance to take them for treatment.
        6. The breakage of joint family system that had the advantages of multi-generational interactions and bonds which were crucial to the well-being of elders, can be one factor for increased mental health problems of elders.

Way forward:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Creation of a network in the rural community to improve elders’ mental health by pooling in volunteers to create awareness about mental health problems elders face, seek help from service providers such as District Mental Health Programme. 
                  2. Provide better access to mental health services for elders by the co-ordinated actions of the individual, families, civic society, private organisations, non-governmental organisations, and government to achieve healthy ageing.
                  3. At the individual level, a plan for old age with financial savings and lifestyle changes to maintain good physical health and a satisfying social life has to be sorted.
                  4. Healthy ageing, as a concept, should be introduced in the school curriculum.
                  5. City and town planning should consider elder-friendly designs to improve mobility and reduce dependency.