Assessment of the Financial Capacity in Elderly: Approach and Challenges in Indian Scenario

The elderly population, with those individuals above the age of 60 years, is increasing exponentially, attributable to higher life expectancy as a result of improved health care, socioeconomic level, and quality of life. As they grow older (>80 years), it becomes difficult to manage their basic needs and daily living. A report on Decade of Healthy Ageing estimates that 14% of people aged 60 years and above cannot meet their basic daily needs which include the ability to manage finances. Some elderly people depend on others to manage finances because of their inability to make decisions resulting in conflicts and communication problems between siblings and other members of the family and lodging of civil lawsuits in India's joint family unit. So, decision-making is an important area to assess in the elderly people, given its clinical, legal, and ethical aspects. Courts of law can refer to older persons for assessing their capacity to manage finances, though there are no structured clinical procedures to assess it in India. This article evaluates existing methods around the world, discusses the challenges associated with the assessment, and provides clinicians with guidance on assessing financial capacity from an Indian perspective.