In a way we all have to face old age at all times -- in the form of grandparents, parents and finally in growing old ourselves. Somehow, old age is not too pleasant a thought. It’s a stage we usually associate with sickness, loneliness, grumpiness and plain uselessness.

It seems like nobody knows how to deal with old age, neither the society, nor the young people, least of all the old people themselves. They are lonely and disengaged most of the time, some more than others.

There are very few people who age well because age is not even a consideration for them. These are people who keep occupied with their work till the end of their lives. But that is a luxury afforded to a few professions only -- like artists or lawyers or businessmen for instance. Otherwise, in our society, even if we keep government jobs aside for a moment, there is a culture of ‘retirement’ -- almost a state of mind. People are expected to stop working after a certain age, even if they are fully capable mentally and physically to work.

Talking of culture, ours specialises in stigmatising old age. We don’t have plans to facilitate old people whether it’s about finding work or organising leisure activities for them. There are some laws in the offing but one wonders how they will be implemented if this mindset stays.

We also look down upon something like old people’s homes and swear by the strength of one’s immediate family which, for a variety of reasons is unable to provide the old people the care they need. As a consequence, the old people largely remain confined to their homes; the loneliness multiplies and complicates their physical and mental well being.

There is a genuine lack of geriatric care available in the medical and paramedical fields. In most cases the men go out to work and the care for the elderly is mostly left to the women who are working in many cases. Staff trained in geriatric care could prove to be a blessing for most households.

These are some of the issues we have tried to address in today’s Special Report which ends up looking depressing just as old age does.