Letters to the Editor: Elderly people

Elderly people

Elderly people are assets not only to the family but to society as a whole. We need to reform our approach towards elderly persons by bringing care closer to where they live, and where it costs less to deliver and does more good. We must stop looking at ageing in terms of loss and dependency, and rather learn to capitalize on its promise by investing in age-friendly communities with integrated services. We need to invest in research that is focused on interventions and strategies that promote and promise better health, improved financial security and dignity in life for aged persons. Acknowledging seniors' contributions will help to make ours a more age-inclusive society that does not pit one generation against the other. It will also be a more accurate reflection of how most of us engage with each other in our everyday life. Turning the 'problem' of the elderly into a 'solution' needs to be demonstrated in a sustained manner. It is time we re-imagined ageing as an asset, and not as a burden.

Ranganathan Sivakumar,

Madipakkam, Chennai