Quality of Life of Elderly of Urban and Rural Northern Karnataka and Upper Assam Correlates and Intervention

Abstract

The quality of life of elderly and its correlates studied on 480 samples from rural and newlineurban areas of Dharwad and Gadag taluk of Northern Karnataka and Dibrugarh and Sibsagar newlinetaluk of Upper Assam revealed that elderly with higher quality of life were those who showed newlinehigh functioning, medium risk of falling, without cognitive impairment, normal nutritional newlinestatus and satisfied marital relations. Majority of the young old (60-74 years) and older groups newline(75-110 years) from both the regions belonged to multigenerational living arrangements. newlineYoung old were significantly higher in functional status, nutritional status, normal better newlinequality of life and without cognitive impairment in both the regions, whereas, older groups newlinescored higher in risk of falling, personality factors (agreeableness), marital satisfaction in both newlinethe regions. Female elderly were in higher proportions in multigenerational living newlinearrangements, better on functional status, had normal nutritional status, and higher on newlinepersonality factors (extraversion, conscientiousness and openness to experience) whereas, newlinehigher percentage of male reported living alone or living with spouse and adult children, newlinepersonality factors (agreeableness, emotional stability), social support, marital satisfaction and newlinewithout cognitive impairment. Elderly with higher socio-economic status showed better newlinefunctional status and without cognitive impairment, while who were in low socio-economic newlinestatus scored higher on personality factors (openness to experience and emotional stability). newlineThe effect of all socio-demographic factors and correlates brought about a variation of 27.3 newlineper cent among rural, 31 per cent among urban of northern Karnataka while, in case of upper newlineAssam, it was 27.1 per cent among rural and only 9 per cent in urban elderly. newlineA Quan-qual mixed research method was employed. Correlates of quality of life such newlineas living arrangements, functional status (activities of daily living, instrumental activities of newlinedaily living), health (risk of falling, cognitive abilit