The Care of the Elderly in India: A Description of the Condition of the Elderly and Analysis of the Ethical Issues Involved
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I have been working among the elderly of the region of Jamshedpur in the northern state of Jharkhand, India for the past fifteen years. Meanwhile, I have experienced their love and concern for me and for the community. In the course of these years, I realised that, in spite of being frail and vulnerable, the elderly could contribute immensely to the growth of the community, provided that they are properly cared for. These discoveries inspired me to begin extensive research on the ethics of the care of the elderly.
The population of the elderly is fast growing, and thus, today we have an aging population. Modern scientific and technological possibilities have brought about an evolution in modern medicine. Consequently, the health care needs of the elderly have increased, though the available resources have remained limited. Accordingly, we can identify the elderly as one of the most vulnerable groups in any health care system. Hence, one of the major objectives of a health care system is to care for the elderly through effective management of the available resources and competing needs of the society.
In India the elderly face a number of problems, such as poverty, illiteracy, and inadequate health care. Most of the elderly in India are dependent on their children or close relatives. In our doctoral project, we plan to study the care of the elderly in India and the ethical issues involved. We intend to elaborate the proper place and role of the elderly in the health care system in India as well as our responsibilities towards the care of the vulnerable elderly. We will divide the entire research into three chapters. In chapter one, we will survey the situation of the elderly in the world in general and in India in particular. Chapter two is an inquiry into the fundamental values and principles in the ethics of the care of the elderly. Principles of vulnerability and solidarity need special consideration in our research. In the final chapter, we examine these values and principles in the concrete context of the elderly in India.
The elderly have an important place in the health care system of a nation. The unprecedented developments in modern technology and medicine have ushered in a longer life span, as a result of which today we witness an aging society. Today, we are challenged by the great responsibility of caring for the growing elderly population the world over, and especially in developing countries, like India. The population of the elderly in India is increasing much faster than the total population, and is projected to increase still faster in the future. However, a large number of the elderly people in India are uninsured. The elderly in the rural areas are a neglected lot. Besides, many of the elderly in India are too poor to have access to basic health care. Therefore, most of the Indian elderly live with their children. Similarly, the old age pension schemes, introduced by the government of India to cater to the needs of the elderly, are insufficient and are not properly administered. The country has a very limited number of old age homes. Most of the old age homes are situated in the cities. The issues related to the distribution of health care resources, such as, the principles of justice, solidarity, responsibility, and vulnerability, and issues of rationing and setting priorities are applicable to the care of the elderly too. Our research will focus on these issues in the care of the elderly in general, and in India more specifically, from a bioethical perspective.
We then make a general investigation into the ethical issues in the care of the elderly. This would include the biblical and religious views on the care of the elderly. This includesan analysis of the fundamental values and principles, such as human dignity, and principles of justice, vulnerability, solidarity, and responsibility. The distribution of health care resources is closely associated with the notion of human person, for health is a very important concern of him/her. Since the human person is endowed with intelligence and free will, he/she has a specific dignity that cannot be violated. Furthermore, we acknowledge the fact that no human person can exist apart from a community of human beings. Hence, the elderly form a part of our human community. Principles of solidarity and responsibility guide the community to help the older people to live a life of dignity, so that they can also contribute to the growth of the community. In addition to this, we shall study the ethical choices in practice, like allocation of health care resources to the elderly, rationing, setting priorities, and specific ethical dilemmas in the care of the elderly.
Finally, our research will critically analyse the care of the elderly within the health care system of India. India has a two-tiered or mixed health care system that has incorporated the elements of the egalitarian as well as the free market health care system in order to maximise the benefits of all in need of care. In this context, fundamental values and principles will be applied to the concrete care of the dependent, vulnerable elderly of India. Subsequently, in the final section of our research, we intend to discuss ways and means by which a more just and fair health care system can be secured for the elderly in India. The health care system in India must initiate policies and measures in view of the frail and vulnerable condition of the elderly population. These policies and measures must aim at protecting the personal dignity of the older people. The country must work in unison to ensure proper care and security for the elderly so that they live a proper community life.
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John Crasta
Faculteit Godgeleerdheid
Doctoraatsopleiding in de Godgeleerdheid
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Project nummer:
3H050584
Duur van het project:
01.10.2004 - 01.10.2008
Onderzoek met eigen middelen
English
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