Description

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Over the past decades, the world's population has traversed its course of demographic transition from a state of high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates. The result of that transition has led to the growth in the number of elderly. While this has been recognized for some time in the developed countries, it is only recently that this phenomenon has been fully acknowledged in developing countries like India. The region of Kerala, being in an advanced stage of demographic transition and health care, is called "the greying state" of India. A lower number of children and an increase in the migration of youth to other countries have increased the woes of elderly in manifold ways. The family, as the primary care-giving support system, has crumbled away due to the disintegration of joint families. The absence of a government support system leaves India's elderly abused and neglected. There are also incidences of abuse and neglect of the elderly living in families. Since no empirical study about this serious issue has been conducted so far, this book presents an account of the extent and nature of abuse and neglect faced by the elderly in families, as well as in institutional settings in Kerala. It will be of considerable interest to all those working in the field of gerontology and social work.