In India, there is a steep increase in the elderly population, compared to that of the last century. Thanks to the scientific experiments and the improvements in the healthcare system, the life expectancy has increased manifold during the 20th century. The 80 million elderly population of India will stand in testimony of this fact.

A study on the problems of the elderly in India, has shown that about 50 percent of the people above 70 years are subjected to at least one chronic disease and it has a negative impact on their health, attitude and life.

Kerala, which has a better healthcare system than that of other states in India, too can boast of an increased life expectancy, hence an increase in the population of the elderly. According to studies, those who are above 60 years will constitute 20 percent of the population in the State, by 2021.It is high time the Government came up with some policies for the elderly, especially in the healthcare sector.

I wonder if that means people are going to have to take care of their parents even longer than before. That can actually become costly. It's also dangerous; older people need more care the older they get. Safety is a concern, too, as older people fall down a lot more. We're looking into the life alert costs so that we can make a decision if it's a right fit for us.