Health Care and Hygiene Practices of Older People in Tea Garden: A Study Conducted in Lackatoorah Tea Garden of Sylhet District

Abstract

The recent changes in demographic structure cause a gradual increase in high proportion of older people in Bangladesh. Health status of the older people is a major concern in Bangladesh. Bangladesh lacks medical facilities and infrastructure to meet the needs of the vast tea garden population not to speak of the older population. The majority of tea garden older people in Bangladesh live in absolute poverty. As a result they deprive health care facilities and other old age services from family and society. The present study was conducted to explore the health care and hygiene practices of older people in tea garden areas and to find out their actual health situation, treatment experiences, health seeking behavior, hygiene, social attitudes towards them, social supports and their valuable recommendation for improving their present conditions. The present study was qualitative in nature. It was carried out on eleven villages (para/plot) at Lackatoorah tea garden area. The data for the study were collected from 20 older people and two focus group discussion with eight older people in each group having age 60 years and above and living in tea garden areas in Sylhet district. Purposive sampling technique was employed for selecting sample from the older people who live in the study areas. In the tea garden areas older people mostly suffer from old age related and communicable diseases due to unhygienic environment and practices. Lack of proper information and awareness and bad experiences in government hospitals, many extremely poor tea garden older people first sought treatment from cheaper or free traditional healers. The poor hygiene situation of tea garden areas in Sylhet district is mainly responsible for present health status and hygiene of older people. In tea garden areas older people lead a troublesome life due to insufficient income and allowances facilities.