The loneliness of the elderly

In many parts of the world, the retirement age of government employees has been fixed as 60. In India, a few decades ago, the retirement age of Union government staff was 58 and now, it is 60. At present, there is a feeling that 62 is a more appropriate retirement age.

Fixing a retirement age obviously imply that beyond that mark, people are unlikely to be at the peak of physical and mental health and there are possibilities of vision and hearing loss, poor mental alertness, and so on. However, in recent years, with the advancement of medical technology and better awareness among people of a healthy style of living, longevity has significantly increased, with people remaining active in most cases even up to the age of 70 and above. While the governments and the organised sector continue to deem 60 as the retirement age, politicians and businessmen continue to hold positions and responsibilities beyond the age of 75, even if they are not at the peak of physical and mental health.

In any case, there is a debate on what should be the age beyond which a person should be considered elderly. The consensus appears to be 70.

Despite such an ongoing debate, there is a view among governments and in society that the elderly need support to lead a comfortable life. Several schemes have been announced to support them with monetary and social security help, with even regulations making sons and daughters liable for punishment if they fail to take care of their elderly parents. All said and done, the overall view appears to be that the elderly are vulnerable and deserve sympathy and support from society and the government.

Even as such animated discussions take place in the media and in the public sphere, there is evidence of feelings of loneliness among the elderly. Careful investigation about their thought process highlight the fact that such feelings are inevitable, even if the younger generation treats them with affection or the government supports them with social security measures.

The question is why such feelings of loneliness? While interacting with senior citizens, it becomes clear that it is due to their realisation that they are at the end of their lives and the end may come at any time. The anxiety is particularly due to the fear of death.

All religions have their own theory about life after death and advises everyone not to be scared of death as it is natural and unavoidable. Nevertheless, such advocacy of religions are not adequate enough to erase the feelings of anxiety and loneliness. While the elderly do listen to the advisory of religions carefully and with respect, still it does not make them less anxious about the possible happenings after the end of life.

The feeling of loneliness particularly arises since after such age, people generally realise that whatever they have achieved or not in life are immaterial and have no consequence to them. In short, they become grimly aware that life has been a mere passing of time and they will go nowhere after the end. Loneliness among the elderly has no remedy or solution, and one has to live with it till the end.

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