Elderly will make up four per cent of population in 2015

Health Ministry has said that the population above the age of 65 is on the rise.

The Ministry said in a statement today that by 2015, the elderly will make up 4.8 per cent of the population, and this number is estimated to double by 2025.

Similar to other countries, the tradition of families taking care of the elderly is changing in Maldives as well. Families are now smaller and nuclear families live separately, resulting in families often raising the question of whose responsibility it is to take care of the old. In some cases the elderly are left alone with no one to care for them.

The centre for people with special needs in Guraidhoo currently is home for 49 people aged between 75 and 80 who have no legal guardian. They consist of eighteen women and 31 men, thirteen of whom are bedridden and thirteen others are in wheelchairs. The statement notes that very few families call to check the condition of these people in the care home.

Last year’s statistics show that about Rf 12000 is spent monthly on the centre.

The theme for this year’s Health Day marked on 7 April by World Health Organisation (WHO) is ‘ageing and health’. The slogan is ‘good health adds life to years’.

The statement notes that percentage of elderly people is increasing around the world. WHO studies show that on average, people live 10 to 20 years longer than before. By the end of 2050, eighty per cent of elderly people will be living in least developed and developing countries.