Prevalence of Depression in Elderly in Pune City: A Survey using Geriatric Depression Scale

Abstract

ackground and need of study- Depression is one of the major factors limiting quality of life and is often neglected in elderly health care. No current data is available for depression in elderly in Pune city. Thus, this study aimed at finding this percentage in elderly in Pune city. Methodology- 437 elderly from 60 yrs- 70 yrs ,using convenience sampling were screened using Geriatric Depression Scale and were analysed for their depression levels using descriptive statistics. Results- 26.3 % of elderly had mild level of depression and 16.7 % of elderly had severe level of depression as per the survey. Conclusion - Percentage of depression is alarming in Pune City. Serious steps need to be taken to target this problem in future. Key words: Elderly, Depression, Pune City, Geriatric depression scale