Elderly

Elder abuse is a documented issue around the world. India is no exception. Abuse in older adults is associated with significant increase in emergency department usage, hospitalisation, dementia and depression. An abused elder has a threefold higher risk of death. Nevertheless, elder abuse is ill defined, understudied and underreported. Concepts of elder abuse developed in Western contexts are difficult to generalise to the widely varying contexts of India. This article proposes a framework to study and theorise elder abuse in India. The proposed framework is based on the bioecological systems theory. The article aims to facilitate identification of elder abuse and stimulate discussion around this grave yet neglected issue in care of older adults in India.

Portable, user-friendly diagnostics have increased the use of biological markers in national health surveys. The 2010 pilot wave of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India used a comprehensive biomarker module to measure more accurately the burden of health risks and morbidity among older Indians in four pilot states. This paper presents results from the biomarker data collected during the LASI pilot wave and compares them with self-reports. When compared with self-reports, biomarker data revealed a greater burden of health risks and a higher prevalence of chronic disease. By showing the systematic variations in health status between LASI's self-reported data and biomarker data, the paper highlights the value of using biomarkers to establish more reliable estimates of health in national surveys. The biomarkers studied include blood pressure measurements, grip strength, body mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio, all of which provide valuable insights into health trends affecting older adults.