Elderly Living in Old Age Homes: A Comparative Study of Banaras and Lucknow

The last century has witnessed a rapid increase in the population of the elderly people in the developed and industrialized countries. This situation could be attributed to a combination of factors such as increase in age, longevity and decreased death rates due to advancement in the field of medicine, improvement of life expectancy at birth, and enhancement in the average span of life. India ranks 4th in terms of absolute size of elderly population .The country is not adequately equipped to look after their special health needs and the changing traditional value system. In the above context, a study was conducted to understand and compare the background profile and satisfaction of the elderly residing in the old age homes of Lucknow and Banaras. The sample of elderly women was selected using the “Purposive sampling” technique to select 60 elderly women from the old age home. The data was collected using a specially designed Interview schedule and observation technique.