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Special Articles / T.K. Nair / Older People in Rural Tamilnadu The major findings covering the characteristics, social and family relations, health condition, employment and retirement, economic situation, opinions and feelings of 1,598 elderly men and women living in 200 villages in the state of Tamilnadu are presented in this chapter into two parts. The first part analyses the differences in characteristics, problems and feelings between elderly men and women. The second part discusses these aspects in relation to change in age.
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Special Articles / T.K. Nair / Older People in Rural Tamilnadu Isolated older men and women are classified under four categories : those who live by themselves, those who had no visitor or human contact, those who are often alone, irrespective of their living arrangement, and those who have no surviving relative (wife or husband, son or daughter, brother or sister, or any other relative).
Special Articles / T.K. Nair / Older People in Rural Tamilnadu Retirement and reduced income are inevitable features as people grow old. Among the poor, the aged are one of the most vulnerable sections. Destitution and dependence are the lot of many older persons. For analysis, the older people are divided into three income units: married couple; widowers, separated, divorced and single men; and widows and other women. Thus the 1598 sampled older men and women were distributed among the three income units as follows: 41 per cent couples, 15 per cent unmarried men and 44 per cent unmarried women. The reference period to assess the economic situation of the aged was 1974.
Special Articles / T.K. Nair / Older People in Rural Tamilnadu Work is significant to people from many angles. It is the source of livelihood for most. It confers status in the family and enhances prestige in the community. It places the individual in a network of social relations with people at the work spot. It occupies most of the time in a day and most part of one’s active period in life. It has purpose and expectation, tangible and intangible returns. Without undermining the pecuniary significance of work and its economic functions, different people have different meanings of work. To one, it is a source of sustenance, for another it is a pastime, and for yet another it is an opportunity to serve the society.
Special Articles / T.K. Nair / Older People in Rural Tamilnadu The central themes of the discussion on the situation of the elderly in India are the structural changes that have been taking place in Indian society, the concomitant disintegration of the joint family system and the consequent rejection or neglect of the aged (Planning commission, 1963). These views are widely shared among planners, social scientists and social workers. Two issues emerge from this thesis. One, the joint family has been the popular family system prevalent in India till recently. Two, the aged were well taken care of in the joint family system. Empirical evidences are lacking to support these statements conclusively.
Special Articles / T.K. Nair / Older People in Rural Tamilnadu Old age is often considered the synonym for disease. It is more so in the villages where “old age” is commonly referred to as the cause of death among the elderly. Diseases occur at all stages of human life and are not peculiar to old age. But the incidence of morbidity may be higher and the severity of illnesses may be more marked among the elderly than among people in the younger age groups. The medical explanation for this is the low resistance to fight diseases and the declining changes that normally occur in the systems of the body which contribute to easy susceptibility to diseases. The diseases of the circulatory system are cited as examples of this decline which, according to them, is an inevitable consequence of the ageing process. The diversity of the health-functioning of the elderly is seen from the following instances.
Special Articles / T.K. Nair / Older People in Rural Tamilnadu Ageing is a process. Old age is referred to as the penultimate stage in the biological process of conception, growth, maturity, decline and death. The period of decline due to ageing is known as senescence. But the rate of decline varies from individual to individual. The exact age at which old age starts is controversial. Similarly there is little agreement on the physiological characteristics of old age. Their appearance, frequency and severity vary from person to person.
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