IMPACT OF AGEING ON MENTAL HEALTH – A STUDY

Of late we are living in the modern world of technology, improved medical services and healthcare methodology. Alas, nature has set its own system of human life replenishment in order to balance the nature. As per the study by 2030, one in six people in the world will be aged 60 years or over. India is not exception to this Ageing cycle. It is revealed that comprising over 10% of India’s population, older adults ageing may be 60+ is a growing concern, that may get victim of mental health problems.

The India Ageing Report 2023 notes that by 2050, the share of senior citizens — aged 60 years and above — will rise to 20.8 per cent of the population. That is close to 347 million. This is a steep rise from the 2022 demographic of 149 million elderly persons, which was about 10.5 per cent of the country’s population.

As per the report’s projection by the end of the century, the elderly population in India is expected to make up over 36 per cent of the total population. This projection is also affirmed by the World Population Prospects 2022 report, which mentioned that the proportion of senior citizens will reach 36.1 per cent of the population of India by 2100, comprising more than 550 million people.

Objectives of the study: To assess the mental health status of older adults and explore possible ways of interventions to improve their mental health. of older adults.

Research design: A descriptive research design was utilized. The respondents were from urban area. A simple convenient sample of 50 older adult men and women were respondents.

Results: Relationship with family members has a low positive correlation (.330) with mental health of older adults, and the correlation is statistically significant at a moderate level (0.01< P > 0.05). Negative poor correlations have been established between mental health status and demographic variables like educational status and source of income. It’s also reflected in the research study that there is a significant number of older adults with low mental health status.

Recommendation: A health education program for older adults about mental health is recommended. There is a need to raise awareness in the public and other professionals about the unmet needs of geriatric mental health, develop adequate human resources, and strengthen intersectoral collaboration.