India, June 15 -- India stands at a critical demographic crossroads - by 2050, the share of the elderly in the national population will double from 10.1% (2021) to20.8%, fundamentallyreshaping our social fabric and health care needs. This shift will disproportionately affect women and the oldest-old as they form increasingly larger proportions of this population.

Our elderly already navigate a health care landscape filled with formidablebarriers: Limitedaccess to health care services, shortage of experts in geriatric care, fragmented delivery, inadequate elder-friendly systems, lack of independent financial reserves, and low health-seeking behaviours. For rural seniors, these challenges intensify dramatically. The Longitudinal Age Survey...