摘要：Ageing is a universal process and inevitable. With the increase in life expectancy the percentage of old people in the population has increased dramatically. Industrialization, urbanization, education and exposure to western culture have brought about changes in our values and lifestyles. There are more than 76 million elderly people in the country who constitute 77% of India’s population. By the year 2020, the estimated population of the elderly with be 142 million or about 11% of the country’s population.1 There are certain general points that emerge out of the demographic trend: (1) The rate at which the size of the elderly population is increasing is higher than that of the general population. (2) The increase in the number of elderly women is much more than in case of men. (3) The percentage of elderly persons working is declining, particularly in the case of women. (4) Nearly two-thirds of elderly women will be widows, while only 22% of elderly men will be widowers. (5) A large population of the elderly population will continue to live in poverty, or at the subsistence level, and will also remain illiterate.
