A mother's heart is bigger than all the oceans combined when it comes to her children, but then what happens to the children after her demise especially those who have physical and intellectual dependency?
One of the biggest worries for parents is about children with special needs i.e. where will they stay, how will they manage, who will care for them?
Dependency can be a major concern for ageing parents because after a point it gets difficult to take care of special needs. Older children with physical dependency and mental health issues can become a bigger challenge because both the parents and the children start becoming dependent upon third parties, which can be a concerning issue.
While there are Care Homes for older people and children separately, but then what about the subset of parents who are concerned about the welfare of their children once they are not around to care for the dependent children?
The social welfare ecosystem needs to be reviewed every 5 years. The demographic pyramid is fast changing and India as a country is Ageing fast, it will become extremely important that dependency as a subject should be taken more seriously.
Be it the dependency ratio, dependency on state pension schemes or simply healthcare support services; if we do not look at this subject with an interdisciplinary approach then there is a high chance that fragmentation of guidelines, schemes, policies and programs will widen further.
Pankaj Mehrotra
