Exploration of Common Mental Health Problems Encountered by the Elderly Persons and the Facilities Provided by the Family in a Selected Rural Area of Meghalaya

An elderly period is the critical period which requires special attention to adapt to the changes of life. Depressive and anxiety disorders are common among elderly people, yet these problems go undetected because they are often mistakenly considered a part of the aging process. The problems of elderly range from absence of ensured and their dependents, to ill health, absence of social security, loss of social role and recognition, and non-availability of opportunities for creative use of free time. Inadequate support from the care givers leads to lack of moral, emotional and physical support for elderly. The investigator conducted a descriptive study to explore the common mental health problems encountered by the elderly persons and the facilities provided by the family in a selected rural community of Meghalaya to identify the occurrence of common mental health problems among the elderly. Investigators adopted a descriptive survey design where 100 samples of aged 60 years and above were selected by convenient sampling technique from rural community of Bajengdoba area, Dist: East Garo Hills, Meghalaya. Data was collected with the help of Short Anxiety Screening Test, Geriatric Depression Scale and structured Interview Schedule. The finding of the study reveals that the overall prevalence of anxiety and depression was 19% and 83% respectively. The participants have reported very high physical (37%), psychological (32%) and social support (47 %) while the economic support is found to be low (49%). There was a significant association (p < 0.05) of anxiety with education level and per capita income of elderly person whereas depression was statistically associated with education, per capita income and occupation of the elderly person. Significant association was found between common mental health problems and the level of physical support, social support and economic support provided by the family for the elderly person. Anxiety and depression in elderly is a serious thing that should be the concerned of the family and society. So, more Community-Based studies should be conducted.