34% of 80-year-olds in villages and 27% in cities confined to homes

NEW DELHI: About 8.4% of people aged 60 and above in villages and 7% in cities and towns are either confined to their home or bed and the incidence is higher for women, a government health survey has found.

The survey underlines the dependency of older people on assistance and limitations on their mobility as the percentage of home-bound elders rises to 27% in urban and 34% in rural areas in the 80-plus age group.

The ability to get around is an important indicator of the physical condition and overall health of older persons. A large proportion of the elderly are also economically dependent on others for their livelihood. The NSSO survey found that around 52% of the aged in rural and 51% in urban had to depend on others for their day-to-day needs.

The dependence was very high for elderly women. About 90% of aged women in rural and 87% in urban areas were economically dependent either partially or fully.

The problem points to the possibility that many were not formally employed and lacked retirement planning or even options. It was found that 43% of men in rural and 52% in urban areas were economically independent in terms of their livelihoods.

Most of the economically dependent aged people - 82% in rural and 80% in urban areas - depended on their children for financial support while a sizeable proportion (11% in rural and 15% in urban areas) depended on spouses. A small proportion - 5% in urban and 7% in rural areas - were supported by their grandchildren or 'others' which includes non-relatives.

The survey found very few elderly lived alone in India. The figure was only 4% in both rural and urban areas. About 61% of the aged in rural and 63% in urban areas lived with spouses. Some 35% in rural and 33% in urban areas lived without spouses but with children or other relatives. The survey found that the percentage of elderly was 7.7% in rural areas and 8.1% in urban areas.

The sex-ratio among aged persons of 60 years and more was 1035 in rural India and 1029 in urban areas, indicating a higher life expectancy for women.