Aging & Society: Eighth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The main objective of the study is to explore bio-psycho-social disabilities of the elderly people in Dhaka City of Bangladesh. This study is qualitative in nature; case study method was used in order to have depth understanding about aging disabilities. Considering time, geographical location and budget, the Lalbag and Newmarket Thana of Dhaka city was selected as study area. A total of 20 elderly people aged 60 and above were chosen for the study by using convenience sampling. Qualitative in-depth interviews (IDIs), participant observation, key informants’ interviews (KIIs), and focus group discussions (FGDs) with elderly people were applied for data collection. The study found a number of physical, socio-cultural and psychological disabilities among the elderly. Results showed that the elder people faced many aging disabilities in their daily life. They face a number of physical problems such as inefficiency of physical movement, speaking, sleep, and so on. Most of the elderly people face a number of social problems such as lack of invitations, honour and dignity and less attention in social and cultural affairs. The psychological problems included frustration, loneliness, inferiority complex, family, and social negligence. There are still inadequate services for resolving these problems, especially ageing disabilities. All of these make the elderly people seen as a burden of the society in Bangladesh. The study findings can be important guideline to the policy makers, service providers, and development practitioners related to elderly care and service.