Introduction

The goal of this chapter is to provide guidelines for public policy for social security and health care of the aged. The varied needs and experiences of the aged were obtained from clusters of populations that were probed as distinct groups in which key aspects of ageing were likely to differ from one another. This study envisaged an interest in understanding the significance of shifts in intergenerational contracts, in emerging institutional failures to cope with the process of ageing and it's implications for social security and health of a highly heterogeneous ageing population in Sri Lanka.

Research Design and Methods

Both time and budget constraints were considered in designing techniques and selecting the sample. Responding to the underlying concerns to capture the dimensions, characteristics and trends related to ageing among different social and economic groups of the aged, the sample was stratified into population clusters from selected locations that used to advantage intracluster homogeneity. Four clusters captured the ethnic variations. The sample of majority ethnic group of Sinhalese was drawn from two locations, one in and around the hill country with its main town, Kandy, which is home to a community that is upholding its own set of traditions, the other from the southern area in and around Galle, from a rural population that has entrenched traditions of its own. Rural agricultural society is represented by a sample from an interior rural location, which continues with traditional peasant agriculture while adopting non-traditional methods as well.