This document summarizes a presentation on aging in Nepal from a socio-demographic perspective. It defines different types of aging including biological, chronological, psychological, and social aging. It discusses gerontology as the study of aging and geriatrics as the branch of medicine dealing with health of the elderly. It outlines trends in aging for Nepal including increasing life expectancy, percentage of elderly population, and their growing size. It notes that most elderly in Nepal live with children and care is primarily provided by family. Some key research issues on aging for Nepal are also highlighted.

1. Aging in Nepal: Socio-demographic
perspective
Guest Lecturer for Mphil Students,
Central Department of Population
Studies, TU, Kirtipur
30th November, 2014
Hom Nath Chalise, PhD
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2. Overview
• Aging and typology
• Gerontology and Geriatrics
• Aging in Nepal
• Some research Issues
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3. What is Ageing ?
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4. What is ageing?
• Aging is a lifelong process of growing up
and growing old.
• It begins at conception and ends with
death. So, in this sense, we are all aging
from the time of birth.
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5. Different meaning of aging
• Growth and development: In our infant
years
• Maturation: In our teenage and young
adult years
• Senescence: After age 30, our physical
body begins to wear out and our
functioning declines
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6. Ageing
• Today, people are living longer than ever before
due to advances in education, technology,
medicine, food distribution, and sanitary
conditions.
• So, nowadays, it is not unusual to meet people
who are in their 70s, 80s, 90s, and some who
are close to 100 years old.
• However, “adding the years to life,” does not
mean that we are also able to “add more life to
the extra years.”
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7. Ageing
• In other words, living longer does not
always mean we will also have better or a
good quality of life in later years.
• Some older adults in late life are healthy
and independent and are still very involved
in their family and community lives.
• Then again, it is not unusual to see older
persons who can get very ill and are not
able to get themselves out of bed.
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8. Types of ageing
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9. Physical/Biological Ageing
• Biological Aging involves the loss of cells over
time.
• With biological aging, tissues and organs are
less likely to function efficiently, the body’s
ability to repair itself slows down, and the
immune functions decline, making the body
more prone to infection.
• A person who keeps fit and gets regular check-ups
can appear biologically younger than
someone who is the same age but does not
keep fit. 12/7/2014 Hom Nath Chalise, PhD 9

10. Physical/Biological Ageing
• Biological Aging involves the loss of cells over
time.
• With biological aging, tissues and organs are
less likely to function efficiently, the body’s ability
to repair itself slows down, and the immune
functions decline, making the body more prone
to infection.
• A person who keeps fit and gets regular check-ups
can appear biologically younger than
someone who is the same age but does not
keep fit.
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11. Chronological Ageing
• Chronological Aging is the number of years a person
has lived so far. An 85-year-old lady is
chronologically older than a man who is 75 years old.
• However, chronological age may not match a
person’s biological, psychological, or social age. For
example, the 85-year-old woman may be an active
volunteer, while the 75-year-old man could be
homebound.
• Sometimes we say, “he looks younger than his age,”
or “she does not act her age.” In these cases, the
biological, psychological, and social age do not
match the chronological age.
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12. Psychological Ageing
• Psychological Aging involves changes in
memory, learning, intelligence, personality,
and coping.
• An older person who is mentally active
and is able to deal with new situations can
be said to be psychologically young.
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13. Social Ageing
• Social Aging refers to changes in roles and relationships
as we age.
• For example, it is not unusual for older people to gain
new roles, like becoming grandparents. Or they may
change roles, from an employee to a retiree.
• With role changes in later years, society may expect
people to behave in certain ways.
• So, for some people, it may not be proper for “grandma”
to go roller skating or bungee jumping because “these
are things that young people do.”
• The social age of a person in a given context can be
very important because it shapes the meaning of aging
for the person, and this can make aging a positive or
negative experience.
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14. Gerontology and Geriatrics
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15. What is Gerontology?
• Gerontology is derived from Greek word
“Geron” meaning old man and “logos”
meaning speech, so literal meaning of
gerontology is 'to talk about old age'.
• In simple language, Gerontology is a study of
old people.
• It has three core or foundation discipline -
biology, sociology and psychology.
However many other disciplines demography,
education, law and ethic, the humanities,
business and management, and economics.
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16. What is Geriatrics?
• Geriatrics is derived from Greek word
“geron” meaning old man and “iatros”
meaning healer.
• Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that
focuses on health care of the elderly.
• It aims to promote health and to prevent and
treat diseases and disabilities in older adults.
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17. Gerontology
• The field of gerontology was developed
relatively late, and as such often lacks the
structural and institutional support needed (for
example, relatively few universities offer a Ph.D.
in gerontology).
• Yet the huge increase in the elderly population
in the post-industrial Western nations has led to
this becoming one of the most rapidly growing
fields.
• Gerontology is currently a well-established and
well-paying field for many in the West.
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18. Gerontology and Geriatrics
• The term geriatrics differs from
gerontology.
• Gerontology is the study of the ageing
process itself.
• However "Geriatrics" is considered by
some as "Medical Gerontology".
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19. Female Advantage in life
Expectancy
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20. Female Advantage in Life Expectancy at Birth: 2006
6.6
6.9
6.9
6.7
3.6
5.8
5.7
5.2
2.7
-0.5
13.8
8.7
11.9
Belarus
France
Japan
Hungary
Russia
United States
Spain
Nepal
Syria
Mexico
Egypt
China
Chile
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2007.
(Difference in years between females and males)
Developed countries
Developing countries

21. Aging Trend in Nepal

22. Introduction (Elderly)
• Elderly: 60 years and above
• Aging research is in infancy
• Population aging is a recent phenomenon
• More than 85% live with their children
• Culturally seniors are respected
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23. Demographic transition in Nepal
Year TFR IMR CDR Life Expectancy
Male Female
1952 - 255 36.7 27.1 28.5
1981 6.3 - 21.4 42.1 40.0
1991 5.6 97.0 13.3 55.0 53.5
2001 4.1 64.4 9.6 60.1 60.7
2011 3.1 48.0 8.3 67.3 69.1
☞ Men live longer than women before 2001 (Chalise &
Brightman, 2006)
☞ In the last 6 decades life expectancy at birth
increased by nearly 40 years

24. Men live longer than women
(An exceptional country in the world)
•Preference for male rather than female children
(Kinsela et al, 2005)
• Gender discrimination at each stage of life
(Luther and Thapa 1999)
• Child mortality is 1.5 times higher for girls
(DHS, 2001)
• Discrimination in nutrition
• Children's socialization pattern
• High maternal mortality rate
(Chalise & Brightman, 2006)

25. Trends of aging in Nepal
Percentage of elderly in different census of Nepal
5 5.2 5.4
5.7 5.8
6.5
8.1
% elderly
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9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1952 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011

26. Trends of aging in Nepal
0.41
0.49
0.62
Size (in million)
0.86
1.07
1.5
2.1
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
1952 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011
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27. Trends of Aging
• Elderly Population increased by 425%
during 1952 to 2011
• Elderly Population increased by 43%
during 2001 to 2011.
• Population growth rate of elderly was
3.67% and National Population growth rate
was 1.35% during 2001 to 2011
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28. Social Security System

29. Pension
•Government employees
•Retirement age 58 years for civil servants
•Less than 7% of elderly receive a pension
(Chalise & Brightman, 2006)
•Majority of recipients are in Army or Police
(Chalise & Brightman, 2006)

30. Non-contributory pension
•Universal
•70 years and older
•Widows 60 years and older
•Rs. 500 per month
•Small amount but popular

31. Care of elderly in Nepal

32. Care of elderly in Nepal
•Children
•Children (mainly sons): social responsibility
•Daughter-in-law: has burden
•No geriatric wards, no geriatrics health personnel
•Homes for elderly: Can you guess how many
elderly are taking shelter in such a home?

33. Some Research Issues
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34. Research Issues
• Perception of old age by retired people
• Perception of old age by teenagers
• Social support of elderly
• Care giving situation of elderly
• Care giving burden
• Health status
• Depression
• Loneliness
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35. Research Issues
• Functional Disabilities among elderly
– ADLs:
– IADLs
• Self reported health status
• Social security of elderly
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36. Some Publication related with
ageing from me
• Chalise H N, 2013. Situation of Depression among Elderly Living in Briddashram (Old
Age Home) in Nepal. Advances in Aging Research , 3 (1): 6-11.
• Chalise H N 2013. Prevalence and Correlates of Depression among Nepalese Rai
Older Adults, Journal of Gerontology and Geriatric Research, 2013, 2 (4),
doi: 10.4172/2167-7182.1000130
• Chalise HN, Saito, T., & Kai I, 2010. Social support and its correlation with loneliness:
A cross-cultural study of Nepalese older adults. International Journal of Aging and
Human Development, 71 (2): 115-137.
• Chalise HN, 2010. Social support and its correlation to loneliness and subjective well-being
of Nepalese older adults. Asian Social Work and Policy Review, 4 (1): 1-25.
• Chalise HN, Saito, T., & Kai I, 2008. Situation of functional disability in activities of
daily living and instrumental activities of daily living among Nepalese Newar elderly.
Public Health, 122 (4): 394-396.
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37. Some Publication related with
ageing from me
• Chalise HN, Kai I & Saito, T, 2007. Significant variables of self-reported health: A
study of older adults from a developing country – Nepal. BioScience Trends , 1
(2): 102-107.
• Chalise HN, Saito, et al, 2007. Correlates of loneliness among older Newar adults
in Nepal. Japanese Journal of Public Health, 54 (7): 427-433.
• Chalise HN, Saito, T., Takahashi M & Kai, I., 2007. Relationship specialization
amongst sources and receivers of social support and its correlations with
loneliness and subjective well-being: A cross-sectional study of Nepalese older
adults. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 44 (3): 299-314.
• Chalise H N & Brightman J, 2006. Aging trend: Population aging in Nepal.
Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 2006 (6): 199-204.
• Chalise H N, 2006. Demographic Situation of Population ageing in Nepal.
Kathmandu University Medical Journal 4 (3): 354-362.
• Chalise H.N & Shrestha S., 2005.Situation of the elderly in the Himalayan
Kingdom of Nepal. Indian Journal of Social Work, 66(2):136-143.
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38. Quarries?
Feedback/Suggestion
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