This document presents a project proposal for developing a web-based IT solution to address problems faced by senior citizens in Sri Lanka. It outlines the background of aging population trends in Sri Lanka and common challenges experienced by seniors such as financial difficulties, isolation, lack of awareness of support programs. The proposal defines the project aims to research problems and design an IT solution to provide transitional resources for seniors. It lists objectives and deliverables, and proposes a solution addressing key problems through mentoring, social connections, healthcare information and education on support programs. Finally, it discusses some existing government and NGO initiatives to support seniors.

1. INFORMATICS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
In Collaboration with
UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER (UOW)
BSc.(Hons) in Information Systems with Business Management
Final year project 2014/2015
Uplifting
the
Value
of
Senior
Citizens
in
Sri
Lanka
Project Proposal Document
(PPD)
2011172
Sanduni Jayamanne
Supervised by
Ms. Gayathri Ranasinghe
(Word Count- 2942)
…………………………….. ……………………………..
Signature of Supervisor Signature of Student

2. Project
Progress
Report
2011172
Table
of
Contents
PROJECT
BACKGROUND
.................................................................................................................................
1
PROBLEMS
FACED
BY
SENIOR
CITIZENS
...................................................................................................
2
FINANCIAL
LOSS
i
AND
CHALLENGES
...................................................................................................................................
2
DENIAL
.....................................................................................................................................................................................
2
ISOLATION,
FRUSTRATION
AND
DEPRESSION
...................................................................................................................
3
HEALTH
CHALLENGES
...........................................................................................................................................................
3
LACK
OF
KNOWLEDGE
AND
AWARENESS
OF
THE
AVAILABLE
PROGRAMS
AND
RESOURCES
..................................
4
AIMS
AND
OBJECTIVES
....................................................................................................................................
4
AIM
...........................................................................................................................................................................................
4
OBJECTIVES
.............................................................................................................................................................................
4
Project
Objectives
and
Deliverables
...........................................................................................................................
5
Personal
Objectives
...........................................................................................................................................................
6
Academic
Objectives
.........................................................................................................................................................
6
PROPOSED
SOLUTION
.....................................................................................................................................
7
PROJECT
CONTEXT
...........................................................................................................................................
7
CONCLUSION
.....................................................................................................................................................
10
ACTIVITY
SCHEDULE
.....................................................................................................................................
11
BIBLIOGRAPHY
................................................................................................................................................
13

3. Project
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1
Project
Background
Sri Lanka’s old age dependency ration has progressively increased over the last 20 years and is
expected to double over the next 20. Statistically there is a 125% dependency ratio, which
implies that each employed person has to support 1.25 dependent persons (Gaminiratne,2004).
Such a level of dependency is clearly a significant burden for those in work. “By 2040
demographers forecast that one in three of the population will be aged 60 plus”
(Gaminiratne,2004). Although the common belief of having an aging population is that it
affects the economy unfavorably, there is a good side of it too. “Empirical evidence suggests a
strong link between qualifications, skills, and productivity performance in an economy”
(Gaminiratne, 2004). On a positive note ageing is expected to raise productivity performance as
the stock of skills and experience increase in the economy.
Old age is considered by many to begin at retirement. It’s not just a cessation of employment,
but it is also a social change, a status change and a standard of life change (Lovekar,2008).
Although some employees continue to remain active until late into their lives, in most cases
they are forced to leave the working place as they complete the retiring age. They often face
age discrimination in the job market even if they want to work back.
According to the prevailing pension system in Sri Lanka, men should retire at the age of 55 and
women should retire at the age of 50 from the covered employment (OECD,2012). This
retirement system currently covers only 25% of the working age population and the vast
majority of population does not have formal social protection for old age. Out of those who are
covered, a large proportion are located in the top two income quintiles, suggesting that Sri
Lanka’s retirement system does not adequately meet the needs of the poor (Gaminiratne, 2004).
With this absence of comprehensive old age security and social assistance for the elderly in Sri
Lanka, as life expectancy, and importantly healthy life expectancy increases, people are obliged
to work longer to maintain economic and social welfare levels. Working is not only to earn
money but also it creates self-worth, physical and mental exercise, friendship, and sense of
belongingness. Therefore retirement maybe perceived as resulting in deprivation in each of
these areas. During the working years, the ability to keep up their household duties is not easy
and usually squeezed into the weekends and free time sounds positively blissful. Suddenly after
getting retired everything feels so mundane and they become bored, depressed and anxious as it
leads them to spend more time at home.

4. Project
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Within the context of Sri Lanka, adequate solutions are not provided to solve the problems of
the senior citizens except few financial options provided by the state and some financial
institutions. Therefore it is evident that there is a need to address the problems faced by the
senior citizens and thereby restructure their lives.
Problems
faced
by
Senior
Citizens
Although general thinking is that people make proper plans for retirement beforehand, the
reality is far different. Therefore with the understanding of above scenarios of the ageing
process in Sri Lanka, the socio-economic implications of ageing and associated challenges and
opportunities are discussed in the following sections.
Financial
Loss
and
Challenges
Most of the people do not save enough to reduce the financial pressure of retirement. When
they realize that they should save, its too late and they are unable to save enough. On the other
hand only the government workers are privileged to receive government pension scheme. In
addition, those who are covered are only partially covered in the sense that incomes derived
from retirement schemes are insufficient to meet all retirement needs (Gaminiratne, 2004).
Consequently after retiring when money stops coming in, spending habits need to be adjusted
accordingly. In case if they still have dependents under them the situation is more crucial.
Therefore they may have to seek for opportunities to earn more money and take the best use of
the skills and experiences they have gained. Additionally, as they get older the provision that
they keep for medical requirements needs to be increased. Even thought there are financial
institutions that provide options of investing their money the interest that they provide is
generally very low. Considering all these issues it is evidence that the financial problems can
have a large impact on many areas of a retirees life including their health.
Denial
Denial is the greatest problem that a person faces after retiring. It is not necessarily a voluntary
action. Most of the companies do not keep the employees after they reach their retirement age
although they are fit enough to work. Even if idle retirement is ideal for some, others like
taking up a part time job or starting up their own small business in order to add up a form of
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5. Project
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income. But because of the age it is very unlikely that a retired person would get another job
although they would like to continue working. Because youngers now a days possess more
academic knowledge unlike the retirees, the employers prefer hiring youngers. They may lose
the significance and purpose of living as a result of that and this is when most of the emotional
problems like isolation and depression creep in since they are not occupied.
Isolation,
Frustration
and
Depression
Sri Lankan elderly have generally relied upon the family as the fundamental caregiver and
support base. However, this feature cannot be expected to continue in future since a large
proportions of females who were housewives are now employed in Sri Lanka and abroad, and
both children and their spouses are engaged in work outside the home due to expectation of
economic prosperity (Siddhisena, 2005).
One may save more than enough money for their retirement but money may not solve the
emotional problems that they are going through. Death of their spouse, migration of their
children and having to spend most of their time at home are few reasons as to why they start
feeling isolated. Children may take care of their financial requirements but what matters the
most for them is physical presence of their children (Lovekar, 2008). Children are busy playing
their own battle of life and have less time to spend with their parents. During this period they
may experience depression and anger seemingly for no reason at all. Having someone to talk
with may be the happiest thing that a retiree gets whose undergoing with the feeling of
isolation.
Health
Challenges
Retirees will face healthcare challenges for the rest of their lives. It is important that they
remain mentally alert and physically fit. Therefore, the need of a long-term health care
provision is evident with the ageing of the population. In general, older people need more
health care and treatment than younger people, and the pattern and causes of their illness are
different as well, (e.g. Alzheimer and Dementia) which need special care and geriatrics
treatment that cost highly. There is a severe shortage of geriatricians and geriatric health care
workers in Sri Lanka (Perera, 2011).
Improvements in health conditions for senior citizens would allow many to continue earning
and postpone retirement, which in turn, could ease the pressure on pension systems and on
families with increasingly fewer working age adults having to care for and support each old
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6. Project
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people member of the household.
Workers in the formal sector withdraw from the labor market early because of mandatory
retirement ages (and because they have access to pensions), while workers in the informal
sector work longer and withdraw mostly because of ill health (World Bank, 2008).
Lack
of
Knowledge
and
Awareness
of
the
Available
Programs
and
Resources
Lack of knowledge on the available programs and services geared to the senior population is
another problem that seniors face.
Seniors indicated they have inadequate knowledge of services and activities for seniors while
agencies serving seniors reported lack of knowledge as a barrier to seniors receiving their
services. Information available to seniors, such as resource guides published in local magazines
and as booklets, is often out of date or contains misinformation. Seniors very often do not know
where to turn when something happens, such as an illness or a catastrophe (Council of
Community Services, 2005).
Aims
and
Objectives
Aim
To research and identify the problems faces by the senior citizens in Sri Lanka and design,
develop and evaluate a web based IT solution that will provide transitional resources to benefit
them.
Objectives
The main objective of this project is to research and identify the problems faced by senior
citizens in Sri Lanka and provide an effective solution for those problems with the help of a
creative IT solution which is mentor intensive. Consequently,
- Retirees will have the chance to continue earning in order to cover their day-to-day cost
of living.
- Retirees will have a sense of meaning and belonging
- Will gain more knowledge on better investment options
- Will have access to better medical services.

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Project
Objectives
and
Deliverables
No
Objectives
Deliverables
PO 01 To conduct a background research on the factors that
impedes youth entrepreneurs from starting up a
business and defines the background, problem domain,
aim, objectives and deliverables of the project.
Terms of Reference(TOR)
Project Proposal
Document(PPD)
PO 02 To carry out a comprehensive literature survey on the
following areas to gain ample knowledge on current
literature.
- Problems faced by the senior citizens in Sri
Lanka
- Current retirement system in Sri Lanka
- Investment options available for senior citizens
Produce a complete literature
review report.
PO 03 Conduct an industry survey to identify the problem
domain of the project in order to gather requirement
for the proposed solution.
An explicit requirement
specification document
PO 04 To decide on suitable approaches, methodologies,
tools and techniques for the project to ensure
professional standards are met.
PO 05 To design and develop the prototype Demonstrate the prototype
and submission of report on
prototype
PO 06 To prepare and submit a summary of the project status
in order to demonstrate the work carried out up to now,
ensure project is on track and what remains to be done
to complete the project successfully.
Project Progress
Report(PPR)
PO 07 To Implement and test the IT solution to verify that
proposed concept, work to expected quality.
Functioning Prototype
PO 08 To do a critical evaluation of the project in order to
ensure that the aim and objectives are fulfilled and
Evaluation report

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then suggest future recommendations to the IT
solution
Further Recommendations
PO 09 To finalise the project report to present an
independent, original, and significant research carried
out and thereby meet the academic requirements in the
degree program.
Produce the final project
report (FPR)
Personal
Objectives
• To
submit
a
perfect
thesis
and
get
an
“A”
grading
for
the
project
module
and
complete
the
degree
with
a
highest
possible
grading.
• To
contribute
by
proposing
a
appropriate
solution
that
would
be
obliging
and
would
provide
the
need
of
the
addressed
group
in
this
project
• To
learn
how
to
manage
the
potential
risk
and
challenges
while
working
under
pressure
• To
achieve
greater
time
management
skills
through
meeting
deadlines
of
deliverables
and
balance
off
the
personal
life
Academic
Objectives
Academic Objectives Project
Objectives
To gain background knowledge about ageing population and their problems to
complete the project successfully
PO 01
PO 02
To acquire ample knowledge on how to conduct a methodical and
comprehensive study on carrying out a research.
PO 03
To get and understanding about the best practices and possible solutions to be
more adoptive to changes and search for alternative solutions
PO 03
PO 05
To learn proper references practice in terms of acknowledging work of other
people by using Harvard referencing methods
PO 01
PO 06
PO 09
To enhance writing skills, critical thinking and the time management for
successful completion the final year project
PO 01
PO 02
PO 06
To learn how to write a constructive questionnaire to capture necessary PO 03

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information from target groups of the project
To improve the presentation skills so that the final viva could be faced
confidently
PO 09
PO 08
To gain an in depth knowledge on information system design tools and
technique and implement an effective solution to support the problem.
PO 04
PO 05
PO 07
Proposed
Solution
Problem Solution
Financial Loss and Challenge Provide information about the available
investment options and
Denial Mentoring services to startup their own small
scale businesses
Small scale business startup support
Isolation, Frustration and Depression Connect them to participate in social activities
Health Challenges Information/ quick guide to medical offices
and clinics
Educate on better health care
Lack of Knowledge and Awareness of the
available Programs and Resources
Mentoring service
Educate about the available programs and
resources
*All the above solutions and features are the current suggestions, which are to be analyzed
further and are subject to change with the carryon of the further research and the industrial
survey.
Project
Context
According to the literature although exact similar projects were not done before, there have
been projects conducted by the government and NGOs in order to solve individual problems of
Sri Lankan senior citizens. But how far those have answered above stated problems is
questionable. Listed below are some of the solutions provided by the Government and some
NGOs.

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• Government response to ageing population
− Started a program of ‘active aging’ in March 2000, and has had planned to cover
the entire country by 2005.
− Special Identity Cards for Elders over 70 years
Special identity cards for elders are issued by the Secretariat to enable them get
preferential treatment when obtaining public services. The identity card ensures
various benefits for elders in obtaining public services from hospitals, post
offices, banks and other public institutions, 5% discount when purchasing
medicine from the outlets of the State Pharmaceutical Corporation, and higher
interest rates for fixed deposits in certain banks. Separate counters have been
arranged for elders by the Ministry of Health in major hospitals.
− Training of Medical Personnel in Geriatric Medicine/Care
In order to ensure the delivery of quality health services to elders, Sri Lanka has
been providing specialized training for medical personnel in geriatric care. The
Postgraduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM) in collaboration with the Health
Ministry commenced postgraduate programs on geriatric medicine. Elderly care
has also been included in the undergraduate medical curriculum and basic
training programs for public health personnel are being provided to enhance the
quality of health services.
− “Wedihiti Awarana”
(Elders Sponsorship) Scheme: Elders over 70 years of age, and who do not have
any income are entitled to receive financial assistance under this program
implemented with contributions from well‐wishers. Sponsors adopt elders from
the list maintained by the National Secretariat. Sponsorship funds are credited
through the National Secretariat.
• Response of HelpAge Sri Lanka for ageing Population
Listed
below
are
some
of
the
steps
taken
by
HelpAge
Sri
Lanka
in
order
to
take
care
of
the
elderly
population
in
Sri
Lanka
who
are
in
need.
- Housing Projects for elders

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- Home Care Volunteer Training Programmes for Senior Citizens Committee
- Distribution of Disability Aids
- Hearing aids
- Dementia unit
- Eye camps
(HelpAge Sri Lanka, 2014).
• Response of Ceylinco Home Nursing Service for ageing Population
Ceylinco provides home care services for senior citizens and it has branches in five large towns
with approximately 400 trained nurses. It provides a service that includes dressing of wounds,
colostomy care, catheter care, nasogastric feeding, insulin injections, and nursing care to
prevent bedsores, etc. Only concern is that this service targets only elders of high-income
groups and therefore those who earns less are not lucky enough to get receive services from
them (Perera, 2005).
Currently there is no web-based solution provided for Sri Lankan senior citizens addressing
their problems. Although previous senior generations were reluctant to use much technology,
seemingly the newly retired people are familiar with the technology as most of them were using
computers at work environment.
Statistically it was proven that the burden of ageing population is to rise further within the next
few decades. Therefore the solutions provided need to be effective and adequate. Other than
that the proposed solution provides solutions for all the identified problems at one platform.
Thus the proposed solution will be fitted for the current Sri Lankan context.

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Conclusion
Statistics received from trusted sources on fertility and mortality has proven that Sri Lanka is
experiencing an ageing population. The rapidity of ageing has commenced over the last two
decades whilst its acceleration could be greater in future decades. Thus, it is evident that the
attention and care rendered for elders would not be sufficient in near future.
When considering the problems identified above, it is evident that the senior citizens in Sri
Lanka are not getting enough attention in solving the problems they face. Although government
and some few private institutions like Ceylinco and HelpAge Sri Lanka provide helping hand in
financial and health care, the emotional problems they face are set aside. Additionally the
health-care provided by those institutions are only targeted to high income receiving groups.
Therefore those who are not rich will need to rely only on the governmental support.
When considering the financial side of the senior citizens, as mentioned above, only a very few
of those who worked in governmental organizations receives the pension schemes. Therefore,
elderly people who are in the private and unorganized sector, unemployed, and also those who
are in agricultural and casual work, with uncertain or low wages, should be seriously taken into
consideration in providing them with some form of social security benefits and socioeconomic
empowerment.