how ageing can be a problem in a country

1. AGING AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM

2.  Who are elders or older persons?
 What is global aging?
 Aging in sri lanka?
 Statistics
 How aging become a problem
 Vulnerabilities
Emergencies
 Emergencies affect older person
 An older person needs:
 What can we do?

3.  A Person who become 60 years old are called as
elders.
 Old age conceder as a final stage of the human
being.
 This is the age time to retire a old person.
 A person who need a support from others in
aging time.
 Old persons are 3 types
1. young old (60-
69 years)
2.Old (70-79
years)

4.  There will be over 2 billion people over 60 in
2050. This is 22% of the global population, an
unprecedented doubling of the present 11% of
the population that is over 60.
 In Asia, the number of people aged 60 or over
will surpass the number of children aged 15
and under by 2045
Sources: Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the
United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision,

5.  9.36% of the population or about 2 million
people in Sri Lanka are aged 60 or over
(Central Bank 2008)
 Expected to increase to 18% (or almost 1 in 5)
by 2020 and 27% in 2040 (or almost 1 in 4)
 Sri Lanka has the fastest ageing population in
Asia

6.  More sheltered homing is needed (Old People's Home)
which is usually paid for by the goverment which puts allot
of strain on the tax money.
 Public transport is also needed to be better as an ageing
population usually cannot drive, so the local amenities will
also need to be better. This is more cost for the
government.
 As pensioners are not economically active, they are
dependent on the active to bring money in to give to the
government, having an ageing population means that the
dependant to economically active ratio is very low.

7. • More money is needed to be spent on medical
things such as doctors, as older people have more
health issues.
• This again puts more strain on the government
Young people move away from the country if it is old as it
is not young and exciting, this means that the population
considerably falls, leaving the country with empty houses
so crime rates rise
• Government have to pay some amount of many for
the elders home and day care centers every month.

8. Source: Department of Census and Statistics, Statistical Abstracts, Sri Lanka;
Estimates derived from De Silva, 1993, Population Projections.

9.  Senior citizens as assets to society
 ‘Many Helping Hands’ approach
 Individual
 Healthy lifestyle
 Financial planning
 Family
 Community
 Government
 Tax relief
 Public housing scheme
 Tribunal for Maintenance of Parents

10.  Protection
 Aging and heath
 Social and psychological support
 Livelihood

11. • Social and economic marginalization often means older
persons are less protected from the hazards of a crisis
• Language and literacy barriers and social isolation may limit
capacity to grasp and respond to public information
• Poverty frequently means older people have unsafe housing
in high risk areas and are unable to relocate
• May be omitted or unfairly treated in distribution of cash or
other benefits
• Can be more vulnerable to violence, theft and abandonment
when resources are limited

12. • Decreased mobility, sight, hearing and muscle strength, greater
vulnerability to heat and cold
• Minor conditions can become major handicaps that overwhelm
older persons' ability to cope (related to a reduction in the
capacity of the immune system in older people)
• More difficulty in accessing services and less able or willing to
flee quickly or to protect themselves from harm
• Chronic diseases common in older age can worsen without
adequate routine assessment and medication
• Older persons' can suffer nutritional and fluid deficiencies if
their food intake decreases or lacks sufficient nutrient density,

13. • Family members may have died or become split up
leaving older persons without support
•
• Families struggling to survive may be forced to neglect
or leave behind older members significantly affecting
their safety and well-being
• Outreach programmes and home visits can be life-
saving to isolated older people
• Crisis-related symptoms of psychological trauma may be
at least as common among older persons as their
younger counter-parts

14. • In many countries older persons must continue to earn
their living
• Arbitrary exclusion of older persons from income
generating activities, food- or cash—for-work
programmes and micro-credit is common
• Livelihood recovery programmes are often planned
without considering the capacities of older persons
• Older persons may be more affected during conflict
because they are often custodians of land that is
ravaged or occupied

15.  Family support
 Good surrounding and environment
 Nutrition for health
 Caring and sharing
 Emotional bonds
 protection

16. • Provide social and
emotional support
• Provide healthcare and
social services
• Encourage them to
remain physically,
mentally and socially
active
• Free health checks
• Recreational activities