'Grey will rule the world': striving to break stereotypes for a better quality of life for elders- At 10th edition of the Times of India’s Right to Excellence submit.

TNN / Jul 23, 2024, Courtesy Times of India

 

New Delhi: Clad in a churidar kurta, spectacles perched on her 65-year-old nose, she moved fluidly on the stage, leaving her audience in awe. Classical dancer Ravi Bala Sharma, a retired govt schoolteacher, performed on Monday at the 10th edition of The Times of India’s Right to Excellence, a summit on the well-being of senior citizens. Dubbed Dancer Dadi, Sharma and other panellists talked about their ‘Golden Years, Golden Gains’ at Eros Hotel on Monday.

The discussions and fireside chats touched upon key topics such as health technology, innovations and opportunities in the senior living sector, rise of older influencers and secrets to thriving in the golden years of life.
Dancer Dadi, who reignited her passion for dancing during the Covid lockdown, said that it was unfortunate that society pigeonholed the elderly into categories based on what they could do or what they couldn’t, but that had to change. “At the age of 62, I started dancing again and posted a reel on Instagram. It went viral and changed the course of my life,” she said.
Sharing the stage with Sharma was model Dinesh Mohan, 66, who proclaimed to a big applause, “Greys soon will rule the world.” Mohan, who began his modelling career only at the age of 56, said, “At that age, I had given up on my dreams and become a prisoner of my thoughts. But wishing to break out of this jail, I made an effort to change, first mentally and then physically.”

  Actor Adil Hussain similarly spoke about personal growth and lifelong learning.
Given India’s burgeoning population of the elderly, the summit was a timely effort to bring together experts and policymakers to discuss issues critical to senior living. Dr Anoop Misra, chairman, Fortis C-DOC Hospital for Diabetes and Allied Sciences, put things in perspective when he said in his opening address that longevity was determined only 25% by the genes. “75% of longevity is non-genetic. So the environment, diet and nutrition and exercise and fitness determine how long one lives,” Misra said.

Dr Harsh Mahajan, founder and MD, Mahajan Imaging, pointed out that 7.4% of Indians over the age of 60, or 8.8 million individuals, currently lived with dementia, but that this could be fought. Early detection through imaging, genome sequencing and new blood tests can check the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease among the seniors, emphasised Mahajan.
Antara Senior Living, Association of Senior Living India, Samarth Eldercare and Epoch Elder Care were the sponsors of the event. Asheesh Gupta, founder, Samarth Eldercare, said that studies had determined that the elderly “need people to talk to, places to go and the feeling that they are still needed”. He added that financial independence and security were also key for worry-free living. Neha Sinha, co-founder, Epoch Elder Care, rued that India, unlike other countries, lacked in trained caregivers. “Technology can assist us to care for the seniors, but we also need to skill the caregivers,” she said.

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