Aging is a universal and inevitable stage of human life characterized by gradual physical, psychological, and social changes. While increased life expectancy reflects advancements in healthcare, nutrition, and living standards, it has also led to a growing population of elderly individuals worldwide. In 2015, almost 901 million people globally were aged 60 years or above, and this number is projected to rise significantly in the coming decades. In India, the elderly population is also increasing rapidly, with senior citizens expected to constitute more than 12 percent of the total population by 2026. This demographic transition presents several challenges related to social security, healthcare, psychological well-being, and family support systems. Older individuals often experience declining physical strength, reduced economic independence, and psychological difficulties such as loneliness, depression, anxiety, and feelings of neglect. Changes in family structure, particularly the decline of traditional joint family systems and the growth of nuclear families, have further weakened the informal support available to the elderly. As a result, many senior citizens face social isolation, abuse, and abandonment, which negatively affects their quality of life and overall well-being. Institutional care in the form of old-age homes has gradually emerged as an alternative support system for elderly people who lack adequate family care or require specialized assistance due to health conditions. However, geriatric healthcare services and organized elder care systems in India remain limited compared to many Western countries. Although the Government of India and several non-governmental organizations have initiated policies and welfare programs for older persons, the need for comprehensive support services continues to grow. Ensuring dignity, security, and emotional well-being for the elderly is, therefore, an important social responsibility in contemporary society.

Keywords: Aging, elderly population, geriatric care, old-age homes, psychosocial problems

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1. Basavanthappa BT. Medical surgical nursing. 1st ed. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd; 2013.
2. Batra S. Health problems of elderly-intervention strategy. Indian J Gerontol. 2004;18(2).
3. Black MJ, Hawks JH. Medical surgical nursing. 7th ed. Missouri: Saunders; 2015.
4. Brockopp DY, Hastings-Tolsma M. Fundamentals of nursing research. 3rd ed. USA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers; 2013.
5. Deborah A. Psychiatric nursing. 4th ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company; 2013.
6. Yip JYC. Theory-based advanced nursing practice: a practice update on the application of Orem's self-care deficit nursing theory. SAGE Open Nurs. 2021;7:23779608211011993. doi:10.1177/23779608211011993. PMID:33959682; PMCID:PMC8060740.
7. Basarkar SG. Geriatric health care need of the present and future. Health Action. 2007;June:6–9.
8. Varcarolis EM. Essentials of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: A Communication Approach to Evidence-Based Care. 3rd ed. St. Louis (MO): Saunders; 2016. 512 p. ISBN: 9780323389655.
9. Fortinash P, et al. Psychiatric mental health nursing. 1st ed. Philadelphia: Mosby Publication.First Printing, Bindiing Thread Showing January 1, 1995.
10. Gelder L. New Oxford of psychiatry. 6th ed. Italy: Oxford Press. 4 September 2003.
11. Gelder M, et al. Shorter Oxford textbook of psychiatry. 4th ed. New Delhi: Oxford University Press; 2012.
12. Gurumani N. An introduction to biostatistics. 2nd ed. New Delhi: MJP Publishers (P) Ltd; 2015.
13. Haber S. Comprehensive psychiatric nursing. 5th ed. St. Louis (Missouri): Mosby Publishers.
14. Jarrell SB. Basic statistics. 1st ed. USA: WM. C. Brown (William C.) Co,U.S., 1 January 1994.
15. Kaplan P. Synopsis of psychiatric behavioral science and clinical psychiatry. 10th ed. USA: Lippincott Publisher; 2017.
16. Keltzner L. Psychiatric nursing. 4th ed. USA: Mosby Publishers; 2013.
17. Kumar VS. Social security for the elderly in India, present status and future challenges. In: Prakash I, editor. Report of the workshop on aging—The Indian experience; 2001 Aug 9–10.
18. Stommel M, Wills CE. Clinical research. 1st ed. USA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2014.
19. Boyd MA. Psychiatric nursing. 4th ed. New Delhi: Lippincott Publishers; 2018.
20. Gracekutty MJ. The psychological factors involved in the life of the aged. Nurs J India. 1983;74(6):145–146.
21. Ahuja N. A short textbook of psychiatry. 5th ed. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Publication; 2012.
22. Careen NF. Psychiatric nursing. 1st ed. Haryana: Sonat Publishers; 2017.
23. Sharma SP. Aging in India. New Delhi: Inter India Publications; 2001.
24. Subrahmanya RKA. Social protection of the elderly. In: Prakash I, editor. Report of the workshop on aging—The Indian experience; 2001 Aug 2–10. Bangalore: Bangalore University; 2001. p. 28–38.
25. Subramanya G. Social problems (with special reference to India). 1st ed. Subash Publishers; 2000.
26. Bhatia SPS, Swami HM, Thakur JS, Bhatia VA. Study of health problems and loneliness among the elderly in Chandigarh. Indian J Community Med. 2007;32:255–258.
27. Devi SE. A study to determine the perceived depressive feelings experienced by elderly clients above the age of 60 years living with their family members in a selected area of Udupi District, Karnataka state. NNT. 2007;June:36–38.
28. Prakasamma M, Saraswathi K. Analysis of the problems of the aged above 60 years in a selected urban community in Hyderabad. Nurs J India. 2000;90(4):86–88.
29. Huibers MJ, Beurskens AJ, Bleijenberg G, van Schayck CP. Psychosocial interventions by general practitioners. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Jul 18;2007(3):CD003494. doi: 10.1002/ CD003494.pub2. PMID: 17636726; PMCID: PMC7003673.
30. Bizwaz, Echt A, Mead K. Assess the health and social problems of the elderly towards life in an urban area of Gujarat [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Feb 14];76(2). Available from: https://doi.org/10 .1093/annhyg/mev099.
31. Chang SC, Pan A, Kawachi I, Okereke OI. Risk factors for late-life depression: A prospective cohort study among older women. Prev Med. 2016 Oct;91:144-151. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed. 08.014. Epub 2016 Aug 8. PMID: 27514249; PMCID: PMC5455056.
32. Annmary, Harper, Martin, Sarkisian K, Andrew M. Depressive symptoms and their relationship to the caregiver’s depressive symptoms and life satisfaction [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2022 Feb 14];76(2). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
33. Karpel, Farazi, Aliasghar, Jabbariasl M. Associations between non-kin natural mentoring relationships and psychosocial outcomes among these old age people [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2022 Feb 14];76(2). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
34. Janes G, Mills T, Budworth L, Johnson J, Lawton R. The Association Between Health Care Staff Engagement and Patient Safety Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Patient Saf. 2021 Apr 1;17(3):207-216. doi: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000807. Erratum in: J Patient Saf. 2025 Apr 1;21(3):150. doi: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000001324. PMID: 33427792; PMCID: PMC7984750.
35. White J, Hopkins RO, Glissmeyer EW, Kitterman N, Elliott CG. Cognitive, emotional, and quality of life outcomes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Respir Res. 2006 Mar 31;7(1):55. doi: 10.1186/1465-9921-7-55. PMID: 16579853; PMCID: PMC1448205.
36. Sreevani R. Emotional problems among elderly people in a selected old age home. Nurs J India. 2007;98(5):106–107.
37. Tiwari RR, Narain R, Sharma YK. Study conducted on social contacts and their relationship to loneliness among aged people [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2022 Feb 14];24(8). Available from: http: //www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
38. Prakash R, Choudhary SK, Singh U. A study of morbidity pattern among geriatric population in an urban area of Udaipur Rajasthan. Indian J Community Med. 2004;29(1).
39. Kavitha MS, AK. A comparative study on quality of life among senior citizens living in home for the aged and family set up in Erode district. NNT. 2007;July:47.
40. Jancy MD. A study to assess the psychosocial problems of institutionalized elderly at selected old age home at Mangalore. Unpublished master thesis. Mangalore: Athena College of Nursing; 2012. p. 1–32.
41. Akbar-Khanzadeh F, Milz SA, Wagner CD. Coping strategies among elderly with chronic renal failure and their attendants in K.M.C. Manipal [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Feb 14];30(6). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
42. Chandrashekhar R, Gududur AK, Reddy S. Cross sectional study of morbidity pattern among geriatric population in urban and rural area of Gulbarga. Med Innovatica. 2014 Dec;3(2):36-41. Available from: https://medicainnovatica.org/2014-Dec%20Issue/9.pdf.
43. Anit J, Bindu M, Sonia J, Divya KY, Dalphina S, Anju B, et al. Elderly and depression. Nurs J India. 2007;98(10):221–223.
44. Tiwari SC, Deshpande SR. A study to assess the effect of stressful life events on psychological distress levels of participants living in an urban area. J Family Med Prim Care. 2020 Jun 30;9(6):2730-2735. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_96_20. PMID: 32984116; PMCID: PMC7491857.
45. Leena A, Padma M, Ashok K, Kamath V. Health and social problems of the elderly. Indian J Community Med. 2009;34(2):131–134.
46. Chakrabarti D. Well-being of the elderly residing in old age home vs those in family setting in Tripura. Nurs J India. 2009;100(10).
47. Nasrullah M, Mazurek JM, Wood JM. Psychosocial problems of elderly - meta-analysis [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2022 Feb 14];76(2). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
48. Parwan S, Punia S, Balda S. Empowerment of senior citizens for retired life. J Soc Sci. 2005;11(3):255–256.
49. Jabbari A, Besharat S, Semnani S. Impact quality of life for frail elderly nursing home [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2022 Feb 14];155(40). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
50. Makol A, Rosenman KD. The prevalence and psychosocial risk factors of depression in the elderly people of the Croatian capital Zagreb [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2022 Feb 14]. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
51. Ananthraman RN. Physical health and adjustment in old age. J Psychol Res. 1981;25(1):46–50.
52. Shepherd S, Woskie SR, Holcroft C. Effectiveness of coping strategies on physical health problems [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2022 Feb 14];74(5). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
53. Lo AI, Huang Y, Lam SY. Effectiveness of coping strategies among undergraduate nursing students to deal with homesickness for the purpose of examining nursing student’s problems [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2022 Feb 14];22(2). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.

Aging is a universal and inevitable stage of human life characterized by gradual physical, psychological, and social changes. While increased life expectancy reflects advancements in healthcare, nutrition, and living standards, it has also led to a growing population of elderly individuals worldwide. In 2015, almost 901 million people globally were aged 60 years or above, and this number is projected to rise significantly in the coming decades. In India, the elderly population is also increasing rapidly, with senior citizens expected to constitute more than 12 percent of the total population by 2026. This demographic transition presents several challenges related to social security, healthcare, psychological well-being, and family support systems. Older individuals often experience declining physical strength, reduced economic independence, and psychological difficulties such as loneliness, depression, anxiety, and feelings of neglect. Changes in family structure, particularly the decline of traditional joint family systems and the growth of nuclear families, have further weakened the informal support available to the elderly. As a result, many senior citizens face social isolation, abuse, and abandonment, which negatively affects their quality of life and overall well-being. Institutional care in the form of old-age homes has gradually emerged as an alternative support system for elderly people who lack adequate family care or require specialized assistance due to health conditions. However, geriatric healthcare services and organized elder care systems in India remain limited compared to many Western countries. Although the Government of India and several non-governmental organizations have initiated policies and welfare programs for older persons, the need for comprehensive support services continues to grow. Ensuring dignity, security, and emotional well-being for the elderly is, therefore, an important social responsibility in contemporary society.

Keywords: Aging, elderly population, geriatric care, old-age homes, psychosocial problems

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Basavanthappa BT. Medical surgical nursing. 1st ed. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd; 2013.
2. Batra S. Health problems of elderly-intervention strategy. Indian J Gerontol. 2004;18(2).
3. Black MJ, Hawks JH. Medical surgical nursing. 7th ed. Missouri: Saunders; 2015.
4. Brockopp DY, Hastings-Tolsma M. Fundamentals of nursing research. 3rd ed. USA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers; 2013.
5. Deborah A. Psychiatric nursing. 4th ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company; 2013.
6. Yip JYC. Theory-based advanced nursing practice: a practice update on the application of Orem's self-care deficit nursing theory. SAGE Open Nurs. 2021;7:23779608211011993. doi:10.1177/23779608211011993. PMID:33959682; PMCID:PMC8060740.
7. Basarkar SG. Geriatric health care need of the present and future. Health Action. 2007;June:6–9.
8. Varcarolis EM. Essentials of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: A Communication Approach to Evidence-Based Care. 3rd ed. St. Louis (MO): Saunders; 2016. 512 p. ISBN: 9780323389655.
9. Fortinash P, et al. Psychiatric mental health nursing. 1st ed. Philadelphia: Mosby Publication.First Printing, Bindiing Thread Showing January 1, 1995.
10. Gelder L. New Oxford of psychiatry. 6th ed. Italy: Oxford Press. 4 September 2003.
11. Gelder M, et al. Shorter Oxford textbook of psychiatry. 4th ed. New Delhi: Oxford University Press; 2012.
12. Gurumani N. An introduction to biostatistics. 2nd ed. New Delhi: MJP Publishers (P) Ltd; 2015.
13. Haber S. Comprehensive psychiatric nursing. 5th ed. St. Louis (Missouri): Mosby Publishers.
14. Jarrell SB. Basic statistics. 1st ed. USA: WM. C. Brown (William C.) Co,U.S., 1 January 1994.
15. Kaplan P. Synopsis of psychiatric behavioral science and clinical psychiatry. 10th ed. USA: Lippincott Publisher; 2017.
16. Keltzner L. Psychiatric nursing. 4th ed. USA: Mosby Publishers; 2013.
17. Kumar VS. Social security for the elderly in India, present status and future challenges. In: Prakash I, editor. Report of the workshop on aging—The Indian experience; 2001 Aug 9–10.
18. Stommel M, Wills CE. Clinical research. 1st ed. USA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2014.
19. Boyd MA. Psychiatric nursing. 4th ed. New Delhi: Lippincott Publishers; 2018.
20. Gracekutty MJ. The psychological factors involved in the life of the aged. Nurs J India. 1983;74(6):145–146.
21. Ahuja N. A short textbook of psychiatry. 5th ed. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Publication; 2012.
22. Careen NF. Psychiatric nursing. 1st ed. Haryana: Sonat Publishers; 2017.
23. Sharma SP. Aging in India. New Delhi: Inter India Publications; 2001.
24. Subrahmanya RKA. Social protection of the elderly. In: Prakash I, editor. Report of the workshop on aging—The Indian experience; 2001 Aug 2–10. Bangalore: Bangalore University; 2001. p. 28–38.
25. Subramanya G. Social problems (with special reference to India). 1st ed. Subash Publishers; 2000.
26. Bhatia SPS, Swami HM, Thakur JS, Bhatia VA. Study of health problems and loneliness among the elderly in Chandigarh. Indian J Community Med. 2007;32:255–258.
27. Devi SE. A study to determine the perceived depressive feelings experienced by elderly clients above the age of 60 years living with their family members in a selected area of Udupi District, Karnataka state. NNT. 2007;June:36–38.
28. Prakasamma M, Saraswathi K. Analysis of the problems of the aged above 60 years in a selected urban community in Hyderabad. Nurs J India. 2000;90(4):86–88.
29. Huibers MJ, Beurskens AJ, Bleijenberg G, van Schayck CP. Psychosocial interventions by general practitioners. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Jul 18;2007(3):CD003494. doi: 10.1002/ CD003494.pub2. PMID: 17636726; PMCID: PMC7003673.
30. Bizwaz, Echt A, Mead K. Assess the health and social problems of the elderly towards life in an urban area of Gujarat [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Feb 14];76(2). Available from: https://doi.org/10 .1093/annhyg/mev099.
31. Chang SC, Pan A, Kawachi I, Okereke OI. Risk factors for late-life depression: A prospective cohort study among older women. Prev Med. 2016 Oct;91:144-151. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed. 08.014. Epub 2016 Aug 8. PMID: 27514249; PMCID: PMC5455056.
32. Annmary, Harper, Martin, Sarkisian K, Andrew M. Depressive symptoms and their relationship to the caregiver’s depressive symptoms and life satisfaction [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2022 Feb 14];76(2). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
33. Karpel, Farazi, Aliasghar, Jabbariasl M. Associations between non-kin natural mentoring relationships and psychosocial outcomes among these old age people [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2022 Feb 14];76(2). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
34. Janes G, Mills T, Budworth L, Johnson J, Lawton R. The Association Between Health Care Staff Engagement and Patient Safety Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Patient Saf. 2021 Apr 1;17(3):207-216. doi: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000807. Erratum in: J Patient Saf. 2025 Apr 1;21(3):150. doi: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000001324. PMID: 33427792; PMCID: PMC7984750.
35. White J, Hopkins RO, Glissmeyer EW, Kitterman N, Elliott CG. Cognitive, emotional, and quality of life outcomes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Respir Res. 2006 Mar 31;7(1):55. doi: 10.1186/1465-9921-7-55. PMID: 16579853; PMCID: PMC1448205.
36. Sreevani R. Emotional problems among elderly people in a selected old age home. Nurs J India. 2007;98(5):106–107.
37. Tiwari RR, Narain R, Sharma YK. Study conducted on social contacts and their relationship to loneliness among aged people [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2022 Feb 14];24(8). Available from: http: //www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
38. Prakash R, Choudhary SK, Singh U. A study of morbidity pattern among geriatric population in an urban area of Udaipur Rajasthan. Indian J Community Med. 2004;29(1).
39. Kavitha MS, AK. A comparative study on quality of life among senior citizens living in home for the aged and family set up in Erode district. NNT. 2007;July:47.
40. Jancy MD. A study to assess the psychosocial problems of institutionalized elderly at selected old age home at Mangalore. Unpublished master thesis. Mangalore: Athena College of Nursing; 2012. p. 1–32.
41. Akbar-Khanzadeh F, Milz SA, Wagner CD. Coping strategies among elderly with chronic renal failure and their attendants in K.M.C. Manipal [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Feb 14];30(6). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
42. Chandrashekhar R, Gududur AK, Reddy S. Cross sectional study of morbidity pattern among geriatric population in urban and rural area of Gulbarga. Med Innovatica. 2014 Dec;3(2):36-41. Available from: https://medicainnovatica.org/2014-Dec%20Issue/9.pdf.
43. Anit J, Bindu M, Sonia J, Divya KY, Dalphina S, Anju B, et al. Elderly and depression. Nurs J India. 2007;98(10):221–223.
44. Tiwari SC, Deshpande SR. A study to assess the effect of stressful life events on psychological distress levels of participants living in an urban area. J Family Med Prim Care. 2020 Jun 30;9(6):2730-2735. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_96_20. PMID: 32984116; PMCID: PMC7491857.
45. Leena A, Padma M, Ashok K, Kamath V. Health and social problems of the elderly. Indian J Community Med. 2009;34(2):131–134.
46. Chakrabarti D. Well-being of the elderly residing in old age home vs those in family setting in Tripura. Nurs J India. 2009;100(10).
47. Nasrullah M, Mazurek JM, Wood JM. Psychosocial problems of elderly - meta-analysis [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2022 Feb 14];76(2). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
48. Parwan S, Punia S, Balda S. Empowerment of senior citizens for retired life. J Soc Sci. 2005;11(3):255–256.
49. Jabbari A, Besharat S, Semnani S. Impact quality of life for frail elderly nursing home [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2022 Feb 14];155(40). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
50. Makol A, Rosenman KD. The prevalence and psychosocial risk factors of depression in the elderly people of the Croatian capital Zagreb [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2022 Feb 14]. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
51. Ananthraman RN. Physical health and adjustment in old age. J Psychol Res. 1981;25(1):46–50.
52. Shepherd S, Woskie SR, Holcroft C. Effectiveness of coping strategies on physical health problems [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2022 Feb 14];74(5). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.
53. Lo AI, Huang Y, Lam SY. Effectiveness of coping strategies among undergraduate nursing students to deal with homesickness for the purpose of examining nursing student’s problems [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2022 Feb 14];22(2). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed.com.