Social Problems Of Aged In A Rural Population

Research Question: What are the social problems of aged persons in a rural population? Objectives: i) To study social problems of aged. ii) To identify measures to eliminate them. Study design: Cross- sectional. Setting: Rural areas of Machhra Rural Health & Training Centre attached with Deptt. of SPM, Medical College, Meerut. Participants: Population above 60 years of age. Sample Size: 1000 households from 5 villages, which had 464 participants. Study Variables: Chi- square test. Results: In all, 259 (55.8%) aged persons were engaged in productive work while 205 (44.2%) were not doing any productive work. Of 376 aged persons living in joint families, 207 (55%) were being respected, 71(18.9%) were indifferently treated and 98 (26.1%) were being neglected by family members. Recommendations: It is a strong case for proper planning to improve the lot of old age population especially for their social problems at the earliest.