Unit 20

Aging and elder abuse

problems-programs and policies for
elderly welfare

Prepared by- Ritika srivastava

ASSISTANT PROF. SOCIOLOGY
 • Concept of Aging;
• Aging in India;
• Aging and its implications;
Topics • Elder Abuse: Concept and Reasons;
Covered:- • The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and
Senior Citizens Act, 2007;
• Brief overview on various older adult
welfare in India;
• Aging: Issues to be addressed.
 • The study of aging is so important and popular that it has its own
name, gerontology. Social gerontology is the study of the social
aspects of aging.
• Gerontologists say that age and aging have at least four dimensions.
The dimension most of us think of is chronological age, defined as the
number of years since someone was born.
• A second dimension is biological aging, which refers to the physical
changes that “slow us down” as we get into our middle and older
years. For example, our arteries might clog up, or problems with our
Concept of lungs might make it more difficult for us to breathe.
• A third dimension, psychological aging, refers to the psychological
Aging changes, including those involving mental functioning and personality,
that occur as we age.
• The fourth dimension of aging is social. Social aging refers to changes
in a person’s roles and relationships, both within their networks of
relatives and friends and in formal organizations such as the
workplace .

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ18whKduFo
Let’s begin
with some
data.
Concept of Aging

•According to the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, a senior
citizenmeans any person being a citizen of India, who has attained the age of sixty years or above.
•A demographically young country like India is ageing gradually. By 2050, 1 out of every 5 people in
India will be over 60.
•Out of the World’s Elderly Population, 1/8th lives in India.
•The percentage of the senior citizens in India’s population has been growing at an increasing rate in
recent years and the trend is likely to continue, First Secretary in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN.
•According to the State of World Population 2019 report by the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA), India’s elderly population expected to triple from 104 million in 2011 to 300 million by 2050,
accounting for 18% of the total population.
•Economic Survey 2018-19 points out that India may face an increasingly ageing population just like
developed nations like Germany and France.
•States like Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal and Maharashtra are already witnessing an ageing
phenomenon.
•As India’s economy has progressed, people have better access to healthcare, information and
awareness around fertility. Thus, the country has witnessed a sharp decline in the total fertility rate
(TFR) since the mid-1980s.
 • Disengagement theory, which suggests that
withdrawing from society and social relationships is
a natural part of growing old.
• First, because everyone expects to die one day, and
because we experience physical and mental decline
as we approach death, it is natural to withdraw from
individuals and society.

Disengagement • Second, as the elderly withdraw, they receive less

reinforcement to conform to social norms.
Theory Therefore, this withdrawal allows greater freedom
from the pressure to conform.
• Finally, social withdrawal is gendered, meaning it is
experienced differently by men and women.
Because men focus on work and women focus on
marriage and family, when they withdraw they will
be unhappy and directionless until they adopt a role
to replace their accustomed role that is compatible
with the disengaged state.
 • Activity theory- Activity levels and social
involvement are key to this process, and key to
happiness.
• According to this theory, the more active and
involved an elderly person is, the happier he or she
will be.

Activity Theory • Critics of this theory point out that access to social
opportunities and activity are not equally available
to all.
• The theory proposes that activity is a solution to the
well-being of seniors without being able to account
for how the distribution of access to these social
opportunities and activities reflects broader issues of
power and inequality in society.
 Type of Abuse Signs and Symptoms
Bruises, untreated wounds, sprains,
Physical abuse broken glasses, lab findings of
medication overdosage
Bruises around breasts or genitals,
Sexual abuse torn or bloody underclothing,
unexplained venereal disease
Being upset or withdrawn, unusual
Emotional/ psychological abuse dementia-like behaviour (rocking,
Abuses:- sucking)
Poor hygiene, untreated bed sores,
Neglect
dehydration, soiled bedding
Sudden changes in banking
practices, inclusion of additional
Financial
names on bank cards, abrupt
changes to will
Untreated medical conditions,
Self-neglect unclean living area, lack of medical
items like dentures or glasses
 1. Aging in Indian
Following 2. Brief overview of various older adult
Topics are welfare in India
3. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and
Covered in Senior Citizens Act, 2007;
the Understanding the Maintenance & Welfare of
Parents & Senior Citizens Act
documents
attached https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l93T_YmL
4WY
below-