MIGRATION AND CARE ECONOMY IN KERALA: a MICRO LEVEL STUDY AMONG THE OLD AGE POPULATION IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM DISTRICT

Kerala has the largest proportion of elderly population among Indian states. As mentioned earlier, Kerala is a unique case. As the state’s population is greying naturally it is important that the society and amenities must turn ageing friendly. Kerala was one of the very first states to be implementing an Old Age Policy. It has further expanded its welfare provisions for the elderly through several other programmes like Vayomithram, Mandhahasam, Sayamprabha and so on. The provision of care is multi-staged, there is a household level, institutional level, and societal level. But as the informal care providers at household level i.e. the children, who are displaying a tendency to migrate out of the state and country, the demographic shift in the state’s population will raise concern. Loss of healthy, skilled human resource is a loss for any society. The only way to cope up with the challenges thrown at the state is by improving the general health and socio-economic conditions of the greying population. Infrastructural and policy developments should not be confined to the conventional ways of providing care. Incorporating technology and ensuring digital well-being can also help in providing care for the elderly in future.