Mon Apr 21 01:21:00 UTC 2025: ## India Faces Looming Geriatric Crisis: Experts Call for Holistic Healthcare Approach

**Bengaluru, India –** India is on the cusp of a demographic shift, with the elderly population projected to more than double by 2050, exceeding the combined population of the UK and Australia. This burgeoning senior citizen population, coupled with changing social structures, highlights a critical need for a fundamental overhaul of healthcare for the elderly, experts warn.

Speaking at a recent event titled “The Age of Care,” Dr. Arvind Kasthuri, Head of the Geriatric Unit at St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru, emphasized that by 2050, one in five Indians will be over 60, a demographic phenomenon unprecedented in history. This underscores the World Health Organization’s (WHO) designation of 2021-2030 as the Decade of Healthy Ageing.

The current focus on disease-centric healthcare is insufficient, according to experts. M.R. Rajagopal, Chairman Emeritus of Pallium India, criticized the lack of emphasis on holistic wellbeing, particularly palliative care. He highlighted the alarming statistic that less than 4% of needy Indians receive basic pain relief, and that healthcare expenditures push millions into poverty annually. The overuse of intensive care units (ICUs) for the terminally ill, leading to increased suffering, was also condemned.

Rajagopal emphasized the importance of community engagement in elderly care, citing successful examples from Kerala where community involvement improved the lives of elderly patients significantly more than medical intervention alone. He stressed the necessity of addressing social isolation, digital alienation, and other non-medical factors impacting the elderly. He proposed a step-by-step approach to implementing community-based palliative care, including professional training, public awareness, and volunteer recruitment.

While positive developments such as the inclusion of palliative care in medical and nursing curricula are underway, significant implementation gaps remain. Rajagopal advocates for a shift towards a patient-centered approach, incorporating the needs of families, volunteers, and the community into the healthcare system. This, he argues, is vital to ensuring the right to dignified care for India’s aging population.

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