Bridging the Intergenerational Gap (Challenges and Opportunities in the Neo-Liberal Economy)

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About the Book Bridging the Intergenerational Gap: Challenges and Opportunities in the Neo-liberal Economy is a collection of work done by eminent scholars, field work practitioners and aspiring researchers in the field of geriatric care. The collection aims to emphasize the deteriorating health condition of the elderly in the era of globalization and neoliberalism with a specific focus on their mental health care needs, highlight the difference in the thought process of elderly and the current youth resulting in a wide generation gap.

The book raises certain concerns regarding the increasing rate of mental health problems among elderly arising due to the generation gap and a drastic life style changing. It also discusses certain issues of the elderly and highlights the role of welfare agencies and social workers in the field of geriatric care.

This book covers different areas of research in the field of geriatric social work with an aim to guide the young practitioners of elderly care to take up contemporary issues and work for the holistic development of the elderly.

About the Author Dr. Lakshmana G is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Central University of Karnataka, Kalaburagi, India. He has done his graduation (BA) and Post-Graduation in Social Work (MSW) from Bangalore University, Bangalore. He obtained his Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) from National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore. In addition to his doctoral degree, he has PGDHRM to his academic credit. He has published 30 articles in International and National Journals, written ten chapters in books, published eight monographs and has presented 42 papers in National and International Conferences. He has completed seven research projects and working on two more. His research interests are psychosocial intervention with families and children, community care and mental health, rural development, Corporate Social Responsibility, HIV/AIDS and working with vulnerable population. He is reachable at lakshmanagsagar@ gmail.com

Prof. Channaveer RM is a Professor and Head, Department of Social Work, Central University of Karnataka, Kalaburagi, India. For the last 20 years, he has been engaged in post-graduate teaching. He has carried out research projects funded from various regional and national level agencies and has published 30 research papers in national and international journals. He is known for his innovative community based interventions, initiatives and actions. His area of work is social development, international social work, community based rehabilitation and social entrepreneurship. He is reachable at drchannaveer@yahoo.com

Foreword India now has the second largest aged population in the world. As per 2011 Census report, total population of senior citizens (60+) is 10.38 cores which is 8.6% of the total population of the country. It is projected that the population of senior citizens in India would be around 19% of total population by 2050. The traditional Indian society and the age-old joint family system have been instrumental in safeguarding the social and economic security of the elderly people in the country with respect and dignity. However, with the fast emerging development of electronic systems in social media and advanced education in recent years, the younger generation has meagre time to spend with their aged parents/ grandparents leaving the senior citizens alone. Since the senior citizens have no much idea of the recent development of social media, they are being ignored and facing loneliness.

Responding to the issue of emerging challenges in inter-generational gap, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJ&E) observes International Day of Older Persons (IDOP) on 1st October every year. MSJ&E confers "Vayoshreshtha Samman" (National Awards) on eminent senior citizens & institutions involved in rendering distinguished services for the cause of elderly person to raise the awareness of elderly issue and also provides an opportunity to the younger generations to understand and appreciate the valuable contributions of the elderly in building the present day society and nation. School children are the special invitees for the National Award.

Preface The population of the world is changing rapidly. The world's elderly population constitutes to 617 million of the world population, and it is expected to reach 2 billion by 2050 (National Institute of Health, 2016). It is also projected that the elderly population would be 3.6 times higher in 2050 in comparison to 1950 (UN-DESA, 2017: 24-25). As per the 2011 census, India's total population was 1,210 million, out of that about 8% of the total population was above 60 years which constitutes 7.7%, and 8.4% are males and females, respectively. The demographic trend shows that over a period of time, the share and size of the elderly population is increasing. In 1961 about 5.6% of the total population was elderly, and it grew to 8% by 2011. Further, it is estimated to increase to 12.4% by the year 2026. Among the elderly population, the oldest-old (80 years and above) is about 10 per cent which accounted for one per cent of the total population. Therefore, elderly population is a huge proportion of the general population. With the increase in age, the need for their care and support increases. Quality of life, empowerment and wellbeing status of elderly has significant impact on the general wellbeing of the society. Changing family and community structure, intergenerational gaps, cultural issues with regard to values, socialization, digital divide and connectivity, active ageing, activity engagement, access to the public services, affordability of services, social security, social capital, life-long education, policy support, and such other issues are of grave concern to understand pragmatically, deliberate critically and respond pro-actively. Hence, geriatric care has paved its way towards India as one of the prominent areas of social work practice in the present scenario.

This book "Bridging the Intergenerational Gap: Challenges and Opportunities in the Neo-liberal Economy" is a collection of works done by eminent scholars, fieldwork practitioners, and aspiring researchers in the field of geriatric care. The collection aims to focus on the deteriorating health condition of the elderly in the era of globalization and neo-liberalism with a specific focus on their mental health care needs, highlight the difference in the thought process of elderly and the current youth resulting in a wide generation gap. The major findings of the papers give a mixed opinion on the existence of a generation gap between the elderly and their kin.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages