IN our eagerness to celebrate our young demography, which is being called the country’s dividend, are we forgetting the ageing population? According to Seema Puri, a trained gerontologist and professor at the Institute of Home Economics, Delhi University (DU), approximately 7.5% of the Indian population is old and they are being neglected.

“The basic structure of our society is changing. Earlier, there were joint families to attend to the needs of elderly people. However, with nuclear families rising in number, there are not enough people to take care of them,” she informs. It is for this reason the Institute of Home Economics, DU, has decided to start a new course in health and social gerontology.

The institute has started a one-year full-time postgraduate diploma. “In most cases, during medicine courses, old age care is taught as a topic, under which students are taught about health and medicinal aspect of treating the elderly. Our course talks about social, emotional, medicinal and psychological aspect of aging,” she adds. The course, started under the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) scheme of most innovative courses, will train students on how to deal with social and environmental requirements of the elderly.

Students from science, social science and medicine stream are eligible to apply. Puri says, “Elderly people get affected by diseases due to loneliness and depression. The cure for such diseases has to include both medical and psychological aspects.”

In so far as a career is concerned, she says, “Students can find placements with government departments that run oldage schemes. They can also find jobs with NGOs taking care of the elderly and old-age homes. There are families that have started employing people to take care of the elderly at their home, it is called respite care.

Those completing the diploma can join research and statistical organisations too.” The institute will start the first batch of this course with 23 seats. The admission will be merit-based. Students with BA/BSc/BSc (Hons) in sciences/social sciences/home science (10+2+3 pattern of education), examination of DU or an examination recognised as equivalent with at least 50% marks in the aggregate are eligible to apply. However, preference will be given to those with work experience in clinical, social and developmental settings. The programme is divided into two semesters.