Elderly Health Journal

Challenges to Elderly People in Quetta City (Balochistan) Pakistan

Nudrat Mushtaq ¹, Rabia Ali ^*1
 

1. Department of Sociology, International Islamic University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan

Article history
Received 28 Jun 2019
Accepted 26 Sep 2020

A B S T R A C T 

Introduction: The present study aims to examine challenges encountered by elderly people in Quetta city of Balochistan. The socio-economic problems faced by elderly and the attitude of family members towards them were explored in this study.
 
Methods: A random sample of 200 respondents comprising both women and men of age 60 years and above was selected and data was collected through semi-structured interview schedule. The data collected has been processed through SPSS and simple frequency designed tables.
 
Results: The results show several problems were encountered by elderly including discrimination (65%), limited decision making power (44%), acts of neglect and maltreatment from families (42%), verbal and physical abuse (41%), reduced social interaction (68%) and economic dependency (55.5%). These challenges were reported to have serious implications on the lives of elderly.
 
Conclusion: The findings of this study imply that the majority of problems faced by elderly were largely due to breakdown of traditional family system of the country. To address these issues the attention of the state is needed especially in providing alternative means of living for the elderly who spend their lives in serving the nation. This may include setting up elderly homes, introducing elderly allowances and increasing pension amounts.
 
Keywords: Aged, Socio-economic, Decision Making, Abuse, Economic Dependency, Financial Burden
 

 Copyright © 2020 Elderly Health Journal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cite.

Introduction
 

    Aging of the population is amongst the most imperative demographic issues arisen in the 21st century. In 2015, one person in eight was aged 60 years or over, globally. By 2030, elder people are estimated to account for one in six persons worldwide. In the middle of the 21st century, one person in every five will be 60 years old or over (1). Aging has been defined as the total constellation of social, biological and psychological changes that occur in last stage of life (2). Old age determined by both physical besides socio-economic conditions remains the inevitable stage of human lifecycle. Aging thus has three correlated courses: physical, psychological and social. Old age is a chain of transition as of one set of social roles to a different set designed via the social system relatively than simple biological one (3). Aging does not have the same meaning in all societies. In many parts of the world, persons are considered old as of definite changes in their activities or communal roles for instance individuals possibly will be thought old as soon as they become grandparents, otherwise after they begin to do less of different work-retirement. Yet in many parts of world, people are usually well-thought-out aged if they have lived a definite chorological age; number of years lived (2). Other than chronological age aging has three dimensions; biological, psychological, and social (3).
    In addition to the varying effects of elderly on a number of main aspects of the society for instance family relations, education, health, business opportunities, social security and different socio-cultural activities (4), there exist several factors creating problems for elderly persons. The most important factor amongst is the varying responsibilities of family institution, though family still holds a central position in gratifying emotional, social and economic needs of old people. How well a person of old age manages the health disparities and copes with changed income then social activities depends considerably on the support and care given to the individual from his/ her family (5).
    Aging brings in its wake a number of problems for the older people in various spheres of life. For an elderly person, loss of employment means not only exposure to financial instability but also reduction in status. Similarly, loss of spouse may lead to loss of home and prestige once enjoyed as head of family. The loss of friends and diminishing energy create in them a feeling of loneliness. Further, due to unsympathetic attitude of society, many of the senior citizens do not get an opportunity to utilize their mature talents and thus get a feeling of frustration, being unwanted. Their idleness not only creates emotional problems for themselves but also for the family.
    Further, age usually brings in its wake curtailed participation in productive and economically gainful work. In a quite large number of cases, family groups may also find it difficult to provide for the aged. Prevailing inflationary trends may add to the problems of the aged by eating their savings or pensioner benefits (6). Older people additionally have diverse socioeconomic needs that must be deliberated; for instance, healthcare accessibility, nutritional requirements, shelter, transport, clothing, community services besides different forms of abuses. Muhammad et al. (7) concluded from their study on the basis of qualitative and quantitative data together that the aged persons in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan had numerous socioeconomic problems including non-participation in all sort of family matters, lack of entertainment or excursion/outing opportunities, no interaction with relatives or neighbors in customarily besides purely strange urban settings, in addition to incapacity of supporting their families financially in accomplishment of their monetary needs.
    Abuse of elderly by caregivers is reported as an issue and it has been acknowledged both in the mass media also in academic writing since the 1970s (8). The prevalence data available on domestic elderly abuse demonstrates that those sufferers are mostly maltreated, neglected and abused by their unpaid caregivers i.e. family and relatives residing with them (9-14). The grownup children of abused old people stand to be the most probable committers Choi (11).
    Healthy aging stresses on maintaining healthy relationships with others besides staying socially active. Studies have observed that strong relationship with family and friends’ support provide excessive emotional support to elderly people then help in healthy aging (15). The health of old people is deleteriously affected because of the breakdown of joint family into nuclear family is having a deleteriously effect on the overall health of the elderly (16). Social linking seems less in old age compared to younger age however it is imperative for older people as it helps in preventing elderly from anxiety, depression or mental disorders. It has also been demonstrated that joint family system and available support inherent in such a system protects the elderly from psychiatric illness such as depression (17). 
    Literature shows isolation and lack of empowerment in decision making is a problem faced by elderly people. Alam et al. (18) disclosed the fact from the collected data that aged persons (above 60 years) faced discrimination accompanied by disaffection in the targeted area, resulting in the elderly isolation. For instance, 10 respondents (22%) of the total told that they are discriminated and disavowed in family decisions because of age. Correspondingly, family members take old people as a burden and maltreat them old people being the destitute from the rest of populace. Older people, in terms of economic productivity are mostly non-productive for their family and for the rest of community. As a result, their position at the home and also in communal relations is not well adjusted and they fall in the feeling of anomie.
    The above discussion illustrates that elderly people encounter numerous problems in their personal and social problems in their lives. At personal level these may include isolation, involvement in decision making while social problems include dealing with the changing social values. In the Pakistani culture, the institution of family plays a vital role in providing care for the elderly. However, recently the tradition of extended and joint family is decreasing, and the trend of nuclear family is increasing and hence vulnerability of old people is substantially increasing (19, 20).
Rationale of the Study
    Elderly population in Pakistan remains under researched in Pakistani academia. In the context of Balochistan only one study was found that had explored the factors contributing to social isolation of elderly. Since the elderly remain an important part of the society so it is important to understand how they experience life; the challenges they face and the moments they cherish. This study was conducted to address this issue in the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. The paper aims to highlight the socio-economic problems faced by elderly in Quetta city of Balochistan. It also seeks to investigate the attitude of family members have towards the elderly. This will deepen our understanding about the life they experience which will be a valuable contribution to the existing studies on elderly in similar contexts.
 
Methods
Study area
    The study was conducted in Quetta city which is not only the provincial capital of Balochistan but is also the 10th largest city of Pakistan with a population of 1,001,205 according to 2017 Census. The city has a Pashtun plurality followed by Balochs, Brahuis, Hazaras and the settlers from other regions of Pakistan (Punjabis and Muhajir) (20).
Study design
    A descriptive study design with the aim of identifying characteristics and frequencies was applied (21). The descriptive designed helped in describing the summary of data and central tendency which showed the intensity of specific problems for respondents.  
Data collection
    A household survey for the collection of data was conducted. Data was primarily gathered through face to face interview using a structured interview guide. As majority of the respondents didn’t understand English the researcher conducted interviews in Urdu. Each interview lasted for 15 to 20 minutes. Once all interviews were completed the process of data analysis begun. 
    This study was carried out in five residential areas of Quetta city as per the convenience of the researcher and availability and willingness of respondents. The simple random technique with the intention of unbiased data collection was applied. A household survey was conducted to draw the sampling frame comprising both women and men of age 60 years or above, residing in those areas, either with their children or alone was included and a total population of 401 respondents was estimated. The sample size determined was 200 after calculating by applying Yamane formula. His formula has been set as: n = N/ 1 + Ne2 where n = sample size, N = population size, e = margin of error. N = 401/1 + 401* (0.05)2, n = 401/2.0025, n = 200.
Instrument
    An interview schedule containing structured questions was used for data collection as it provides immediate response, accurate data and can be applied to both educated and uneducated people and allows researcher to observe the respondents. A 2 point Likert scale consisted of 17 items was used as the study instrument. Each item offered two responses Yes and No and was scored individually. The items covered different variables of elderly life i.e. economic, family and social life issues.
Ethical considerations
    Ethical considerations are undertaken to ensure that data and information provided by respondents is protected and only shared with respondents’ consent. An informed consent form explaining the purpose of data collection and nature of required data was prepared and was got signed by the respondents before the interview. The consent form also included the confidentiality of provided data, respondents’ right to withdraw and estimated interview time.
Statistical analysis
    The collected data was processed through SPSS and simple frequency designed tables representing the summary of collected are presented.
 
Results
    In this section we would present the key findings from this research. The study findings suggest that elderly despite of their age and social background differences face a lot of domestic, social and economic problems mainly lowered social status, maltreating families, less authority in decision making, verbal and physical abuse, discrimination, infrequent social and family interaction and financial dependency.
    Table 1 shows that majority of the elderly respondents in present study were male. The data related to respondents’ age shows that most respondents belonged to young old stage of elderly; 60-65 years of age. The table also highlights the marital status of the respondents illustrating that majority of the respondents were married with both partners alive.
    Table 2 confirms that contrary to the belief that elderly are excluded in the decision making process the data from this study shows that majority of the elderly reported being included in decision making process. Although they believed that their opinions were not always respected but they were asked to make their share in important family decisions. However, some of the elderly reported being maltreated by their families. Maltreatment here referred to neglecting, nonfulfillment of basic needs and absence of emotional support to elderly.
    The findings of the present study highlight abuse as a problem being faced by elderly along with several others. Literature has suggested that among several types of abuse verbal and physical abuses are also included (22, 23). Although the majority of the elderly did not face any verbal or physical abuse but they encountered discrimination and decreased status in their family as indicated by the above data. The respondents were also subjected to family conflicts and disputes (Table 3).
    Table 4 displays the social activities of the respondents including attending family functions, social gatherings and interacting with friends. As indicated it seems that the elderly had limited interaction with friends and family, as they admitted that their social relations had been limited contributing to several factors i.e. health and mobility.
    Table 5 highlights the economic problems faced by the elderly. The majority seemed to be dependent on their children and had issues related to property distribution. The table also illustrates that number of respondents who were satisfied with their lives despite of several issues was higher than the number of respondents dissatisfied with their lives.

 
Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the respondents

Gender	Frequency	%	Age group	Frequency	%	Marital status	Frequency	%
Male	111	55.5	60 - 65	89	44.5	Married	114	57
			66 - 70	50	25	Unmarried	8	4
			71 - 75	36	18	Widow	52	26
Female	89	44.5	76 - 80	17	8.5	Widower	25	12.5
			Above 80	8	4	Divorced	1	0.5
Total	200	100	Total	200	100	Total	200	100

 
Table 2. Perceptions of respondents about them being treated in private spaces

Problems	Yes	%	No	%
Participation in decision making	112	56	88	44
Opinion respected	104	52	96	48
Respect	105	52.5	95	47.5
Maltreating families	84	42	116	58

 
Table 3. Social problems of respondents

Problems	Yes	%	No	%
Verbal or physical abuse	82	41	118	59
Decreased status	81	40.5	119	59.5
Family conflict	79	39.5	121	60.5
Discrimination	130	65	70	35

 
Table 4. Perceptions of respondents about their family and social activities

Problems	Yes	%	No	%
Attending functions	99	49.5	101	50.5
Have friends	46	23	154	77
Meetings with friends	46	23	154	77
Less social interaction	136	68	64	32

 
Table 5. Perceptions of respondents about their economic problems

Problems	Yes	%	No	%
Financially dependent	111	55.5	89	44.5
Burdon on family	84	42	116	58
Property distributed	119	59.5	81	49.5
Change in behavior	51	42.85	68	57.18
Life satisfaction	108	54	92	46

 
 

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