4. Indian Agenda for Ageing
Overall, the landscape on ageing and research can broadly be classified into the following broad research buckets –
- Advanced research (biomedical, brain, therapeutics, etc.)
- Thematic research (perception and attitudes towards ageing, healthy ageing, productive ageing, smart ageing, active ageing, advocacy and communication, etc.)
- Policy research (capacity planning, geriatric care and caregiving, data systems, social assistance and protection, safe public spaces, etc.)
- Action research (health security, financial wellbeing, housing and assisted living, dementia, visual impairment, chronic conditions, etc.)
- Market and consumer research (digital readiness and use of technology, retirement planning, at-home ageing services, mobility and transportation, assistive aids, etc.)
Developing a research agenda that is suited to India requires a better understanding of these areas and codifying the core purpose for such an agenda (e.g., building an age-friendly society, improving quality of life of general population, etc.). Building a coalition of researchers and experts, practitioners, institutions, businesses and civil society participants would help in building this body of knowledge, identifying areas of collaboration and further such research outcomes to action.
With 100Mn+ people over 60, and growing at nearly 2X the rate of general population, there is a need to,
- formulate an ageing strategy that is India-specific,
- create and enhance capacity of institutions to undertake research, support researchers, incubate new products and build industry collaboration
- develop a broad-based ecosystem to support, nurture and incubate market-solutions for the 55+ population
- identify areas that offer an opportunity for scale and measurable impact,
- invest in entrepreneurs and businesses building products and services, and
lay the foundation for a vibrant Silver Economy sector.