Illness response of rural elderly

Background: A dramatic increase in the population of elderly individuals has intensified the need to make geriatric care services easily available. Little research has been conducted to find out the response of rural elderly residents to illness. Aims: To identify the response of elderly rural Indian residents to illness and examine the reasons for these actions . Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was designed and conducted at block level Primary Health Centre, Khatauli, (District Muzaffarnagar), the Rural Health Training Centre of the Department of Community Medicine, Muzaffarnagar Medical College, Muzaffarnagar (UP) covering the area by a network of 40 sub-centers, comprising of 384 elderly aged 60 years and above for a period of 6 months. Results: Less than half (49.4%) subjects preferred to use home remedies as first response to illness. During severe illness, 68.4% of elderly visited a private practitioner. Out of them, 73.1% visited private practitioners because they were near the residences of elderly, while 97.2% visited private practitioners during medical emergencies. Conclusion: Inaccessibility and inability to pay were found to be the main reasons for inadequate utilization of health services. This gap can be filled by integration of geriatric care with the primary healthcare facilities, by increasing the patients capacity to pay by broadening the base of old-age pension or by introducing a uniform health insurance program for the aged.