ASHA for the elderly
- UN "World Population Prospects" projected that India will surpass China as world's most populous country next year.
Associated concerns
- Jobless growth limits the potential benefits of Demographic dividend
- Lack of focus on women's education and reproductive rights
- Increasing life expectancy made India home to 30 million elderly population.
- Lack of adequate services and lagging preparedness for increasing needs for care for elderlies
- Specially people with chronic conditions like dementia
- May include:
- Primary care which integrates care for diverse health conditions
- Home-based nursing palliative care
- Rehabilitation.
ASHA workers are the Solution
- ASHA worker have successfully achieved:
- Reductions in maternal and infant mortality
- Increased life expectancy
- Achieving Covid vaccination coverage.
- They were awarded WHO Director-General's Global Health Leaders Award for their contribution towards protecting and promoting health.
- Thus, it can serve as a template for building community-based workforce to support diverse health and social care needs for elders.