The Elderly in India: a Study of Old Age Homes in the State of Orissa

The rise of the old age homes points to the growing needs of the elderly for care outside the family structure. This book focuses on the lives of residents in such old age homes in Orissa, an eastern state of India. The first few chapters discusses the field of social gerontology, demography of ageing in Indian context, the theoretical framework and methodology adopted for the study. The book also traces the status and role of the elderly in a historical context. It is followed by an examination of the social security provisions available in India to see whether they adequately cover the needs of the elderly Indians. The third chapter delineates the salient features of the existing old age homes in India. The fourth chapter analyses and discusses the findings of the study conducted in the six Homes of Orissa. It provides the biographical details of the residents and describes the lives of the residents in the old age homes. While one part of the chapter discusses the perception of the residents, another section examines the family linkages of the residents.