Understanding the Mental Health Status of Aged Rural Women: A Sample Study

Abstract

Traditionally Indian society has respected and regarded the aged. The younger generations treated the aged as a treasure house of care. Family has been felt complete if there is at least one aged person. For performing religious rituals, on the occasions of births, deaths and particularly in marriages, the elderly are consulted and their opinion is respected. There are a number of instances where elderly of other families are consulted on such occasions where there are no elderly in the family. Elderly thus commanded care in traditional Indian society. Care was never demanded. However, as it is repeatedly repeated by every scholar, urbanization and industrialization have disturbed the extended family setup for simple economics reasons, thereby making state and the community think of elderly care (Rao, 2006). The growing incidence of elder abuse and severe fissures in the multigenerational family or household have forced many older persons to abandon their family home; some of them have also been pushed and have thus been shelter-less. Most urban areas appear to have a growing incidence of cases of abandoned elderly. Old Age Homes of various types are rapidly becoming a choice for many abandoned, left or neglected old persons with or without survival resources (Bhatia, 2008).Today, India is home to one out of every ten senior citizens of the world. Both the absolute and relative size of the population of the elderly in India will gain in strength in future. For a developing country like India, the rapid growth in the number of older population presents issues, barely perceived as yet, that must be addressed if social and economic development is to proceed effectively. In 2000, people over 60 years of age composed roughly 10 per cent of the world's population. By 2050, that percentage is projected to increase to 21 per cent (Sowers & Rowe, 2007). Developing countries will experience almost two thirds of this growth spurt in the ageing population (Chakraborthi, 2004). The ageing of the population is a global trend because of the decrease in mortality rate (OECD, 1988). The increase of ageing population is a major concern to both the family and the government. Usually, the deterioration of health will begin particularly after the age of 75 which therefore will cause the elderly suffering longstanding illness, disability or infirmity (Dean, 1998). The ageing population, especially those with morbidity, may need care both from the informal and formal sectors.Ageing can't be avoided, but how fast we age varies from one person to another. Attitude and how well one faces the normal changes, challenges and opportunities of later life may best define one's age. It is a constant, predictable process that involves growth and development of living organisms. Numerous changes occur in the brain structure and function with age. The clinical features of an aged brain are manifest alterations in cognition and behavior. Age related cognitive decline and behavioral changes reduces quality of life, and is an increased burden to sufferers and their families placing a massive financial load on the society.Nobody grows old merely by living a certain number of years. Years may wrinkle the skin but worry, doubt, fear, anxiety, tension and self disrespect wrinkle the soul. With passage of time certain changes take place in an organism. Impaired memory, rigid out look and resistance to change are some of the mental changes in an elderly people. Elderly people are highly prone to mental morbidities due to ageing of the brain, problems associated with physical health and socio-economic factors like break down of family support and decline in economic independence. The issue is more acute for women, not only because of their progressive predominance numerically with age, but also because women are disadvantaged in the predominantly patriarchal societies in which most of them live. The large numbers of women who are single, widowed or divorced are especially vulnerable, receiving few or none of the entitlements of men and in some instances even lacking comparable status in the community and the family. …