AGEING AND AGEING STEREOTYPES: PERCEPTION OF OLDER PERSONS’ OF RAWALPINDI

Ageing is a global phenomenon with all its impacts and consequences as observed most of the developed countries along with developing countries. In Pakistan the issue of ageing is not given more importance as it required securing the future of our elder’s population. This study was focused to explore the perception of Older Persons (OPs) about old age. Structure questionnaire was implemented to collect the data of 384 OPs of Rawalpindi city. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS. Data shows the participation of 70% male OPs and 30% belongs to female OPs of respective area. Most of the study respondents were having the age between age group 60-65 as recorded 53.9%. Among 384 respondents, 267 OPs perceived old age as illness & disease, 194 OPs were reported the name of stress & depression. Predominantly, 243 elders considered old age as full of social isolation & ignorance. Increased dependency, less social participation, and poor mental & physical health was also reported by study respondents. Study concludes that if we want to bring a happy and active ending then we must consider the efforts that promote the positive and productive perceptions and stereotypes among OPs of our society, and also to gain benefit from their valuable experiences.