An Assessment of The Dynamic Balance of Seniors In Home For Aged In Kerala

Abstract

Aging refers to the shifts in physiological and psychological patterns of a human being. Often it creates rupture and imbalances to the whole patterns of the human being. Considering the fact that the world’s population is aging rapidly, old age and associated issues require utmost attention and specialised research, especially in the context of a fast paced globalisation, technological advancements and a definitive shift in human relationships. By 2025, most of the population in the developed and developing countries of the world will consist of the aged and the elderly. Demographic data reveals that by 2050, there will be two billion elderly people on the planet. The above mentioned shift in demographics and the alienation faced by the elderly resulting in the aggravation of physiological and psychological traumas is already evident in geriatric studies from Japan. The 4th emerging crisis in Kerala and newly emerging crisis in India is going to be the problems of elderly. At the modern era due to job requirement and urbanization of the young people, the ideal family system has been completely broken and the majority following western culture and nuclear family system came into existence rapidly. The elderly is the main victim of this system. They become unwanted by other family members due to their reduced physical capabilities and intellectual capacity. So, they are fully dependant on the younger generations. With increasing age, medical situation and dependence in ADL become more common, and many people move to an institutional care facility. From2016 to 2017, the Orphanage Control Board is receiving 5 to 6 to applications each moth seeking permission to start old age homes Kerala. There are 565 old age homes at present in Kerala accommodating 10500 persons. The rising of old age home is mainly due to the migration of youth to other countries and increase in the nuclear family. The ministry of statistics has published are porton the elderly in India in 2016. It puts the elderly people at 12.6 % of the state population, the highest in India.