One in every three elderly persons has no income: HelpAge India report

Chandigarh, June 14

A national report of the HelpAge India has revealed financial insufficiency among the elderly, with one in every three elderly persons not having any income in the past one year, more among women (38%) than men (27%). As many as 32 per cent elderly persons or their spouses have an annual income of less than Rs.50,000 and only 29% reported to be having access to social security schemes.

Helpline

14567 is the Elderline launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

Nearly 65% of elderly persons are reportedly financially insecure. As many as 52 per cent face at least one challenge related to basic or instrumental activities of daily living. A whopping 54% persons are suffering from two or more non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

On the eve of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15), the HelpAge India released its national report 2024 – ‘Ageing in India: Exploring Preparedness and Response to Care Challenges’. The report was released by UT DGP Surendra Singh Yadav at the Police Headquarter here.

The report highlights that only 31% elderly persons have access to health insurance, coverage was largely under the Ayushman Bharat Programme (ABP) – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), along with ESI and the CGHS. A small proportion of respondents (3%) reported purchase of commercial health insurance. The reasons for not having health insurance were mainly lack of awareness (32%), affordability (24%) and lack of need for it (12%).

Elder abuse continues to be a major concern, with 7% persons admitting to being a victim of abuse, while 5% elderly persons declined to respond to the question.

The study was conducted across 20 Tier I and Tier II cities of 10 states. As many as 5,169 elderly persons and 1,333 caregivers’ primary family members were surveyed.

On the health front, most of the elderly persons (79%) visited government hospitals in the past one year. Almost half (47%) of the super senior citizens — those aged above 80 — who visited these government hospitals had no personal income.

Using technology to address health issues was drastically low, with only 1.5% elderly persons availing themselves of tele-consultation services.