India today is witnessing one of the fastest-growing elderly populations in the world. By 2030, more than 140 million Indians will be above the age of 60.

Yet, healthy ageing is still too often spoken of only in terms of medical progress—longer lifespans, new drugs, advanced treatments. But what does living well in old age truly mean?

For me, the answer came through Amma.

Amma’s Story

When I first met Amma, she was seventy-eight, a fragile frame quietly battling Parkinson’s disease.

Her children cooked for her every day, yet the plates often sat untouched. The food was there, but Amma could not serve herself because of her trembling hands. No one noticed.

It was not hunger alone that weighed on her. It was the deeper ache of dignity denied—the feeling of waiting, of depending, of being present but invisible.

Healthy ageing, Amma reminded me, is far more than physical survival. It is about rights:

• The right to be cared for

• The right to be heard

• The right to remain a part of family and community

Not left behind in silence.

Beyond Survival: The Right to Dignity

The World Health Organisation calls healthy ageing a human right.

But rights are not only taken away by policies or laws—they can also be eroded by everyday neglect inside a home.

Amma confided that she felt like a burden. Each evening, as darkness fell, her anxiety deepened. Would anyone remember her needs? This invisible pain only worsened her Parkinson’s.

Emotional neglect can weaken the body just as much as disease.

But something shifted when her family began to include her at the dining table—not only serving her food but inviting her into conversation. That simple presence restored her sense of belonging.

Healthy ageing, I saw, is not just about keeping elders alive; it is about keeping them human.

Power, Dependence, and Inclusion

For many elders, especially women, dependence goes beyond physical limitations. Amma had no direct control over finances, which limited her ability to make choices in her own home.

Without economic independence, even small requests can feel like heavy burdens.

But when elders are given access to pensions or included in family decisions, their confidence quietly returns. It is not about money alone—it is about restoring voice.

Families must see that asking Amma what she thinks about household matters is not a formality—it is recognition of her continued role in shaping life at home.

At the community level, simple interventions—like neighbourhood kitchens or elder support groups—do more than fill empty stomachs. They restore dignity where it has been lost.

The Body as a Doorway to Hope

While these social and emotional shifts unfolded, Amma and I also worked on her physical strength.

• Gentle wrist and hand exercises helped her grasp a spoon again.

• Seated marching supported her circulation.

• Simple breathing practices gave her calm.

The tremors did not vanish, but something more important emerged: her confidence to try.

The day she fed herself—her hands unsteady but determined—the room filled with a quiet kind of victory.

It was not the absence of illness, but the presence of hope.

The Circle of Responsibility

Healthy ageing cannot rest on doctors or medicines alone. It is a circle that includes:

• Families – serving elders not out of obligation, but respect

• Communities – creating spaces where elders are not forgotten

• Healthcare systems – integrating physiotherapy, mental health, and social inclusion as naturally as they provide medicines

The evening I saw Amma’s children sit beside her, laughing and helping her eat, her eyes welled with tears.

But this time they were not tears of helplessness—they were tears of joy.

Inclusion heals deeper than any treatment.

The First Step We Can Take

Ageing well is not about escaping illness or reversing time. It is about ensuring that every elder, whether sixty or ninety, lives with dignity, care, and belonging.

When we serve our elders, we are not performing charity. We are practicing justice.

And maybe the first step is simple:

👉 Tonight, sit with an elder at your table. Not just to give food, but to give your time.

In that presence lies the medicine of dignity, the foundation of human rights, and the truest meaning of healthy ageing.