Silent Sufferings of Old Age People: A Study of Pokhara Aged Shelter
Date
2017
Authors
Paudel, Kalpana
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Anthropology
Abstract
The thesis entitled "Silent Sufferings of Old Age People: A Study of Pokhara Aged
Shelter" is mainly focused on the daily routine experiences of senior citizens and their
sufferings in daily life. A descriptive qualitative case study design was used to explore
the experiences. The senior citizens from Pokhara Aged Shelter were selected in the
study. The total number of respondents was 25.
The primary data was obtained from the field work with in-depth interview.
Qualitative data was recorded, transcribed and thematic analysis was made.
Elderly people describe themselves as useless and worthless. They have nothing to
contribute to social life and the community. Social activities are reduced after ageing.
They have fear of pain, disability, decline, loss of control and death and also involved
feelings of anxiety, fear and powerlessness. Elderly people have negative feelings
such as emptiness, sadness, resignation, frustration, loneliness and regret. It could be
caused by living alone, limited activities or troubles to cope with ageing. They feel
discouraged and helpless. During the ageing process, they give up daily activities
gradually.
Old age is not a problem itself but it becomes a problem when the obvious physical
and mental changes brought by old age make men unable to do their own necessary
basic things. The issue of senior citizen and old age should be addressed appropriately
as other social problems in society. Older persons missed having somebody to share
their small daily experiences. Even though elderly people maybe already have lost
their friends or other important persons, people who are still alive should keep in
touch with them to support their ageing process. Family is an important factor that
contributed to the elderly people’s ability to cope with. Positive attitudes bring
benefits for ageing process.
Description
Keywords
Silent sufferings, Oldage people