Assessing Health-Related Situation of the Rural Elderly in Bangladesh: A Microlevel Study

Abstract

Quality of life is a concept that has gained significant importance in the sociocultural, political, and medical vocabulary. With the emergence of free market economy and pro-globalization policies, Bangladesh has paved the way for the developed to be more developed and rich to be richer. There is a section of privileged citizens who are endowed with money, education, medical facilities, name, fame, and social status, enjoying modern amenities of life, and living in urban areas. The comparatively poor and underprivileged sections are more often living in the rural areas being deprived of even the basic needs and amenities of life. Usually, the rural elderly live with their families in Bangladesh. Their family members take care of them. It is an expectation of traditional society and of the elderly themselves that all their needs will be met by their offspring and other relatives living nearby. But with the passage of time, this tradition is breaking down. Therefore, it is very likely that the quality of life of the elderly in Bangladesh has currently gained a downward motion. The objective of this study is to discover the health-related situation of the elderly at some remote villages in a northern district of Bangladesh. It also delves into the gender-based differences among the elderly in their health-seeking behaviors. The principal method used for the study was a social survey. Face-to-face interview has been conducted with a structured questionnaire among the rural men and women aged 56 years and above to draw empirical data. Descriptive analyses of data using various statistical tools have been made to trace out the prevailing situation.