**1. Introduction**

India has developed tremendously in providing health care delivery to the beneficiaries in many folds but not sufficient enough to fulfill the need of its huge population of more than 130 crores. Still we are lacking behind in meeting the health needs of our vulnerable population like elderly, pregnant mother etc. It may be due to lack of adequate number of manpower like doctors, nurses, paramedics, laboratory technician etc., sufficient fund allocated for health in budget and proper health infrastructure development.

Population aging is an inevitable and irreversible process due to improvements in health and medical care. With advancement in medical science and increased life expectancy, elderly population (60 years and above) is growing faster than young population globally [1].

The corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about unprecedented fear and uncertainty, especially among elderly population. The elderly population depends on social connection more than other generations and they are deprived of this socialism due to sudden pandemic and subsequent lockdown in the world. India is also practicing nation-wide lock down and advising social distancing measures to prevent the spread of this infectious disease among vulnerable populations like children, pregnant women and older people (more than 65 years). It has been seen, with aging immune system becomes weak and thus elderly are more prone to develop infectious diseases compared to younger generation. Geriatric populations are more affected with non communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, heart diseases, kidney diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), cancer etc. Recoveries are usually slower and complication arises rapidly in older people compared to adults. They face anxiety and depression simultaneously due to their loneliness and burden of household expenditures, routine health checkups. For millions of elderly, COVID-19 has amplified their already-existing anxieties and turns them into panic mood [2].

The elderly constitutes about 11.5% of the total population of seven billion globally. This proportion of elderly is projected to be double (22%) by 2050 and it will be more than children below fifteen years of age. The proportion of the elderly will increase from 22.4% (as on 2012) to 31.9% in 2050 in developed countries. The proportion of the elderly is projected to be below 11% in least developed countries by 2050. The rapid aging of developing countries is not followed by the increase in personal incomes of that country. The proportion of the elderly is expected to double up from 10.5% to 22.4% in Asia during 2012–2050. Three countries in Asia, Japan (41.5%), South Korea (38.9%), China (34%) predicted to have the highest proportions of the elderly population in the region by 2050. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, are likely to have only about 21% elderly population by 2050. The proportion of the elderly in India has been increasing at an increasing rate in recent years and the trend is likely to continue in the coming decades. The elderly population accounted for 7.4% of the total population in 2001, 8.6% in 2011 and has been projected to increase to 19% by the year 2050 in India. It is predicted that, the elderly will constitute about 34% of the total population in the country by the end of the 21st century. Therefore, relatively young India today will turn into a rapidly progressing aging society in near future. The sex ratio of the elderly has increased from 938 women to 1,000 men in 1971 to 1,033 in 2011 and is projected to increase to 1,060 by 2026 given the insignificant decline in mortality among males particularly during adult and older years [1, 3, 4].
