Navigating the Demographic Shift and Solving the Elderly Mental Healthcare Needs-The Call for A Kerala State Senior Citizen Mental Health Policy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30834/KJP.39.1.2026.646Keywords:
Senior Citizen, Dementia, Geriatric Depression, Mental Health Policy, Living DocumentReferences
1. Elderly in India. Population, Challenges, and Government Initiatives. 2025. (Internet). https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2183196®=48&lang=2
2. Kerala Budget bets on silver economy, launches elderly welfare initiatives. The Hindu. Bureau, The Hindu (2026-06-19). ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
3. G.O. (Ms) No. 63/2026/GAD – Constituting of Senior Citizens Welfare Department. Government of Kerala. General Administration Department. 19 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026. [Link]
4. Issac TG, Ramesh A, Reddy SS, Sivakumar PT, Kumar CN, Math SB. Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007: A Critical Appraisal. Ind Jour of Psychol Medicine. 2021;43(5_suppl): S107-S112. DOI: 10.1177/02537176211043932
5. Social Justice Department. Vayomithram Project. https://sjd.kerala.gov.in/scheme-info.php?scheme_id=IDEwOA==. [Accessed on 29th July 2026].
6. Social Justice Department. Vayoraksha Scheme for Senior Citizens. https://sjd.kerala.gov.in/scheme-info.php?scheme_id=IDE3Ng== . [Accessed on 29th July 2026].
7. Thomas AM, Susan B, Kalliath JD, Cherian V, Rose BM, Kizhatil A, et al. Prevalence and correlates of geriatric depression in a rural community in Kerala, India. J Ideas Health. 2021;4(Special2):395-401.
8. Shibukumar TM, Thavody J, National Mental Health Survey of India, 2015-16: Kerala State Report, IMHANS, Kozhikode, 2017
9. Kumar SCT, Varghese B, Tharayil HM, Roy J. Dementia friendly Kerala — the way forward. Kerala Journal of Psychiatry 2015; 28(1):94-9.
10. Fathima A, Raju MT. Understanding mental health crisis among the elderly: Doctors and experts speak. The News Minute. Sep 13, 2024. [Internet]. https://www.thenewsminute.com/news/understanding-mental-health-crisis-among-the-elderly-doctors-and-experts-speak. Accessed on 30.07.2026.
11. Kerala State Mental Health Policy (Draft). Branch of the Indian Psychiatric Society, Kerala. 2026. https://kjponline.com/index.php/kjp/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/32 [Accessed on 30.07.2026]
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Rajmohan Velayudhan (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.


