Basic needs, life satisfaction and policy responses on senior citizens in Bharatpur metropolitan city, Chitwan

Abstract

This study attempts to study basic needs, life satisfaction and policy response with regard to senior citizens in Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Chitwan. It examines the multiple facets of old age, in terms of access to basic needs, level of overall life satisfaction, and state responses, including social security provided. Ageing is, on one side, senescence while on the social side, it means changing roles and relationships. As people grow old, their needs change. Using Maslow's (1970) hierarchy of needs, basic needs were defined as food, shelter, wearing clothes, personal hygiene, healthcare support as well as entertainment. The availability of these needs is analysed by caste/ethnicity, economic class, social status and gender. Life satisfaction is a subjective assessment of overall wellbeing, which has a physical, psychological, and social dimension and is a key aspect of successful ageing. The research measures life satisfaction in accordance with the satisfaction of basic needs. Government policies, specifically the Senior Citizens Act (2006) and Regulation (2008) are reviewed to be able to understand how well they are helping in the cause of the elderly welfare and improving the quality of life. This research is based on a post-positivism philosophical paradigm. A mixed-method research (MMR) design was used of a quantitative-dominant research design that was complemented by qualitative research. The quantitative part of the research mainly explores the basic needs and life satisfaction of the elderly, while the qualitative part of the research adds some depth and interpretive details of the context, specifically as to the policy responses and lived experiences. The field study was done in Bharatpur Metropolitan City (BMC), in the Chitwan District, central Nepal. Among the 39270 total numbers of senior citizens 344 of them were selected as the sample size of the study. It was figured out by using a common formula of random sampling (with 95 percent (confidence) level, 5.25 percent (of margin or error, population proportion 50 percent). The overall availability of the items of food, clothes, shelter, personal hygiene, health care support and entertainment were generally found good whereas the availability and consumption pattern of food determined by the cultural values of the senior citizens. In the study, the availability of the shelter was found around 90 percent and 98 percent having access to clothing irrespective of caste or ethnicity. Around four-fifths of the senior citizens said they had family support when it came to health care and personal hygiene. Support for entertainment activities was relatively lower with less than 80 percent of people in all ethnic groups having adequate access. The overall level of satisfaction with respect to availability of the items of food, shelter, clothes, personal hygiene, family support in health care and entertainment against senior citizens were found to be less than 50 percent on average across caste/ethnicity, economic class, social status and gender. An exception was found in participation with cultural and religious activities; senior citizens belonging to lower economic classes were found to be more satisfied with participation in activities like singing Bhajans and Kirtans. The results of the finding suggest that the level of satisfaction in senior citizens could not be that corresponding to the material availability of resources. Social connections, age friendly community, emotional well being and cultural engagement seems to play a critical role in influencing the perception of life satisfaction among the elderly.