Do mobile phones cause a generation gap? The elderly think so

About 65 per cent of surveyed elderly citizens in the country feel that the adoption of mobile phones and other technology have impacted their personal interactions with younger generation, according to a recent study.

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The Liberty in Life of Older People 2022 survey was conducted by Pan Healthcare and it recorded responses from 10,000 participants across 10 cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow, Patna, Pune and Ahmedabad.

As many as 72.5 per cent said people in their generation used to spend more time with the elderly in the family.

The study also said that 51 per cent of the respondents had health problems that caused difficulty in getting around and doing things by themselves.

"Joint and body pain (58.1 per cent) is by far the biggest reason that limits mobility in the elderly in India. Tiredness and forgetfulness (at 8.4 per cent each) also figured in the list," it said.

Urinary incontinence emerged as the second biggest limiting factor (18 per cent) that prevents people above 65 years from moving around freely, it said.

Chirag Pan, CEO, Pan Healthcare, said, “The National Statistical Office (NSO) and census data show that the elderly population in India is growing at a much faster pace than the general population. In fact, it is likely to grow at over 40 per cent in the coming decade, compared to just 8.4 per cent expected growth in overall population.

"It is imperative that younger members of the family pay more attention to the physical, psychological and social needs of the elderly," he said.

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