Department and institution where the work was done

Urban field practice attached to Dept. of Community Medicine, Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, India..

Introduction

Geriatrics population is an important part of the total community & comprises of about 7-8% of the whole population of one community. Since the expectation of life is also increasing steadily and quality of life being emphasized more & more in our country, the senior citizen group is getting importance day by day. It is therefore very essential and desirable that the health of this group is protected and maintained to get the maximum benefits for the over all growth & development of this nation. Earlier the diseases are diagnosed and earlier they are treated, the more will be the benefits in obtaining the optimal level of positive health. The good health enjoyed by these elderly will go a long way in strengthening one health care and economy. Needless to point out that even the WHO is also concerned about the health of this group and is promoting the concept of healthy aging throughout the World.

Objectives

Study design

Material & Methods

The information was collected (as such) with the help of postgraduate students, interns, MPHW (M & F) & concerned Anganwari Workers through a pre designed & pre-tested proforma in the urban setting. For hypertension, sphygmomanometer was used taking 140/90 mm of Hg as cut out limits and for diabetes simple urine testing was done using Benedict's qualitative reagent and graded accordingly. Cataract was diagnosed with the help of a torch & differentiated into Mature Senile Cataract & Immature Senile Cataract. Hearing loss was assessed by taking history of the subjects. In cases of loneliness and depression the history of spouse was also taken.

Participants & settings

Results

Figure 1

Table 1: Age & Sex wise distribution of Study subjects (n= 606)

Figure 2

Figure 1: Bar diagram : Age group distribution among study population

Figure 3

Table 2: Distribution of Study subjects according to Socio-economic status

Figure 4

Figure 2: Pie diagram: Income wise distribution among study population

Figure 5

Table 3: Distribution of Study population according to type of Family

Figure 6

Table 4: Distribution of study subjects according to morbidity conditions

Figure 7

Table 5: Distribution of some leading morbidity conditions in study subjects according to socio-economic status. (n=606)

Results and Discussion

Joint paints & cataract occupy the top position among different morbid condition. It is because these are related with the degenerative disorders of bones & eyes. Life style also plays an important role in their causation.

Anaemia can be explained due to dietary and nutritional deficiency and it is a common problem in all the age groups in our country.

Hypertension & diabetes are related to life style of the community which is not healthy. These problems are increasing with time due to increase in stress & strain and over weight.

Loneliness and depression can be attributed to family relation, tension and less social attention of the family members & the community apart from their individual personality.

Regarding hearing loss chronic-bronchitis &COPD, the results seems to be showing a normal trend which can however, be controlled or diminished by adopting healthy practices in the younger age group and seeking early medical attention whenever required.

The number of defects detected per old age person in our study was 2.35 and the most common of these were joint pains, cataract and anaemia.

Correspondence to

29-A, Sujan Singh Park, Sonipat-131001 (Haryana, India ) E mail id: drmanishgoel2000@yahoo.co.in