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| Year : 1990 |
Volume
: 15 | Issue : 2 | Page
: 70-73 |
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Health Problems of the Elderly in Rural South India
A Chacko, A Joseph
Correspondence Address:
A Chacko
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
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The world’s elderly population is fast increasing. But there is scant information of their health needs in the developing countries. This study is an attempt to estimate their health problems. 197 persons aged 60 years and above were interviewed from 3 villages of Kaniyambadi Block, North Arcot District, and Tamil Nadu. The total Population of the villages was 4256, of which 240 (5.6 %) were those aged 60 years and above. Among the elderly, 80% of the women and 20% of the men were widowed. The majority of them (55%) had visual problems (cataract), followed by orthopaedic problems. Chronic respiratory disorders were significantly more in men while orthopaedic problem were more in women. Of these 15.6% were hypertensive, 8.6% mainly widows needed assistance in physical activities like bathing, toilet, and dressing, walking and eating. These findings were similar to the studies on the elderly done in the West, and demonstrate an urgent need towards planning for the elderly in India |
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