Abstract
Population ageing is an inevitable outcome of demographic transition. Economic and social impact of ageing is an issue of concern and must be adequately addressed. As per the 2011 census, among the Indian states, Kerala has the highest proportion of elderly in the total population and among the districts in Kerala, Pathanamthitta district has the highest proportion of elderly. The elderly women often face the triple dilemma- aged, female and widow. This paper looks into the disease conditions of the elderly women, and their health seeking behaviour in the study area of Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. The study confirms the episodes of multiple ailments and lifestyle diseases among the elderly women and there is no significant variation in the system of medicine used as between the rural and the urban areas.
Keywords: Ageing, elderly women, health seeking behaviour
References
Census of India. (2001). Pathanamthitta District Census Handbook. Census of India. Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala.
Chakraborty, S. (2005). Health Seeking Behaviour of the Aged Population of a Rural Block in West Bengal, Working Paper No.8, Achuta Menon Centre for Health Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.
CSO, (2011). Situation analysis of the elderly in India. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India.
Raju, S. (2002). Health Status of The Elderly: A Medico – Social Study. Delhi: B.R. Publishing Corporation.