Parents’ mental health in India: Why your group health insurance matters

The overlooked mental health among parents

While corporate India makes it big as the fourth largest economy in the world, there seems to be a silent crisis brewing in its home. One that affects their parents primarily and hence the corporate workforce too, as a spill off impact.

We are talking about the looming geriatric health epidemic of the mental health issues of parents aged 45+. Mental health is as important as the physical health of a person and both are inter-related with a causal relationship. Parents of the current workforce that spans corporate India, start-ups and gig economy, often feel neglected and/or isolated or displaced. With high migration rates in urban India, the mental health spectrum for the parents goes through a lot of change. A quick look at some data reveals that one in four older adults deals with mental health concerns with 5-7 percent of the global population over 60 being impacted . The spectrum of mental health includes a host of issues with depression, anxiety, dementia and loneliness being the most common.  

As per a report, depression in adults aged 45+ is approximately 5%, eliciting undiagnosed and hence, untreated depression in the aging Indian population. 

Here are some of the early signs you can watch out for:

• Changes in behavior or mood
• Social withdrawal
• Sleep or appetite changes
• Cognitive decline indicators

But hey! Not everything is gloomy or sad! The good news is that a few changes can go a long way in changing the state of mind. These are changes that one can watch out for and seek help. Changes in behavior and mood of the parents is a clear indicator of their mental state. Check if they have started feeling sad or seem withdrawn from activities and interactions off late. Coupled with this, one can also look for changes in sleep patterns and appetite, any changes in interactions with people and society in general. Another indicator of changing mental health can be the cognitive decline that can be caused due to age or other factors. Once such changes are noticed, quick help can be sought.

Key reasons behind the mental health struggles

Let’s take a closer look at some of the causes of poor mental health amongst them:

• Retirement
• Empty nest syndrome
• Chronic illness
• Migration (due to children re-location) 
• Social isolation 
• Cultural obscurity

Modern day living and the elongated life cycles with changing economic structures further lead to them feeling symptoms that can lead to depression, isolation or anxiety. Retirement is a stage that brings in a sudden change in routine and a lot of free time with an apparent lack of purpose and definition to the day. Adding to this, is the fact that by the time they retire, is also the time when the children have grown up and moved away for work, leaving their home, which is also called the empty nest syndrome. Some other reasons which can affect parents are social isolation or lack of peers or support systems even if they move cities to be with their children. Adding to the loss of peers and ecosystems, is the cultural obscurity or alienation they face when they make this shift.  Even though parents may move in with their children to help with grandkids, or be taken care of, they don’t feel at home. 

They may refrain from sharing how they truly feel but it does get obvious that they miss their long walks, catch up sessions with friends, favorite samosas at ‘Sharmaji ki dukaan’ perhaps? You may have heard your father say how he misses walking to the mandi (vegetable market) to buy fresh vegetables when comes over to visit you. 

There are some things that can help in making parents feel better, such as an active and engaged daily routine, participating in activities and hobbies that make them happy- be it crocheting, participating in religious activities or going down to sit in the senior’s group in society parks and so on. For others, professional help can fix a lot of it. Even though a lot of people go through changes in mental health, there still seems to be a large section of the population that does not seek help. There can be many reasons for this. Some of them include, societal stigma, most commonly described in one line - “log kya kahenge (what will people say)?” However not all reasons stem from culture or societal approvals, some can be financial as well. Mental health help can be an additional cost leading up to out-of-pocket expenses for therapy and medication. These can be helped with advanced employee benefits covered under group insurance policy, something traditional health insurance does not cover.  

A simple yet effective saying that truly starts to gain a lot of significance as age increases is “Health is wealth”. One of the best gifts a parent who is dealing with mental health issues can receive is the stress-free mental health insurance cover. Let’s try and understand what it entails and why it makes sense to sign up for mental health insurance coverage in your plan. As per the IRDAI regulations mandating mental health parity, such a coverage provides for a variety of services, covering the wide spectrum of offerings for taking care of the person’s mental health right from consultations with the experts, therapy, medication, hospitalization etc.

Given below is a quick snapshot of the same:

• Psychiatric consultations
• Psychotherapy/counseling sessions
• Hospitalization for mental health conditions
• Medication costs
• Day-care procedures

Why HR leaders should prioritize mental health benefits

If you are an HR manager reading this blog, you’ll agree with employee retention being one of your biggest concerns. You work so hard to recruit the best talent available out there, adding mental health benefits for the employee and their parents can be deal clencher and the reason why they choose to join and stay in your organization. A report by People Matters reveals that employer-sponsored mental health coverage is emerging as a key talent differentiator that signals to the employee that the employer truly cares. Integrating mental health care into group insurance removes barriers of stigma, cost, and access that can truly lead especially vital in high-growth sectors like tech, BFSI, and professional services where retention is critical. 

Group insurance can be tricky to understand but with Pazcare, you can tailor make your plan with the freedom to choose the employee benefits that truly work the best for your organization and employees because happier employees mean a happier you with up to 21 free hours in a month!