Legal Protection of Elderly Persons in India

Abstract

Ageing is a natural and universal fact. It was always perceived as just a phase of life like, childhood and youth. The responsibility of caring for the elderly is traditionally that of family and most often by children. But due to rapid socioeconomic transformation elderly people are left alone, by their family members, to take the challenges of life. However, with a growing trend towards nuclear family set up and the associated decay of the extended family structure, the vulnerability of the ageing population is increasing. India is a land where age and wisdom are traditionally respected. Elderly people, in developing and developed countries, have complex problems in every walk of life. The existing legal provisions are not adequate to protect and promote the basic and fundamental rights of elderly people.