European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND ALLIED FACTORS OF ELDERLY PEOPLES OF OLD AGE HOMES AND OWN HOUSES

Kuntal Gupta, Kalyani Bose, Nirmal Pradhan and Subha Bose Banerjee*

ABSTRACT

The elderly population in India is continuously increasing and the problems parallel also. So, the numbers of elderly people in old age homes are gradually increasing, as most of the parents are now deciding to live in old age homes rather than with family due to maladjustment, lack of care, emotional and economic support from the family, lac of independence etc. Various studies have been undertaken in the past to get a comparative view of nutritional and depression status of the residents of old age home and community elderly in abroad and elsewhere in India. The present study was undertaken involving some old age homes and community areas of Hooghly and north 24 pargana districts. The result of the present study showed that people living in the old age homes are less affected with malnourishment and depression in compare to the people living in community. A possible explanation form this may be that in the old age homes, the inmates lead a social life with each other of same age groups, whereas in community most of the subjects were found either completely lonely or with spouse only who is equally aged. So, in the latter group lack of proper care is very much evident from their poor nutritional and mental status.

Keywords: Old age home, MNA, GDS, MMSE, IADL Malnutrition, Depression.