The following article is part of the SFG publication “Big Questions of Our time: The World Speaks”. To access the full publication please click here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In my view providing compassionate quality care to the growing elderly population and harnessing their accumulated knowledge to its full potential are the biggest problems facing the contemporary world. The numbers and percentage of elderly are likely to increase in both developed and developing countries. The advances in medicine, increased access to health care and related lifestyle change have made it possible for people to live longer. Providing satisfactory care to the elderly has become a serious challenge due to changing family dynamics, excessive cost of geriatric services, shortage of dedicated care givers with required skills and the global epidemic of non-communicable diseases. Finally, the accumulated wisdom of the elderly are by and large neglected by a world preoccupied with modernity and innovation.