Rural Elderly and Access to Palliative Care: A Public Health Perspective

In near future, the elderly population will increase to a high proportion. This will increase the burden of Age-Related Diseases (ARDs) to a significant level. Most of the ARDs need palliative care (PC) for a fairly long duration. Some statistical extrapolations are discussed to help in identifying this future burden. The existing PC centers are limited in numbers, situated mainly in urban areas, and mostly attached to cancer hospitals. Socioeconomic vulnerabilities of the elderly, especially in rural areas, are high, and access to health is also not optimal. In the coming decades, the number of needy people, as well as the demand for PC, will increase. Existing numbers indicate that exponential increment in quantum and quality of PC services is required to deal with the imminent burden. Specific suggestions are made to use existing public health programs to cater to the rural elderly.