Archive · 7 Dec 2025
Elderly Care in Rural Communities
In many rural areas, elderly people, especially those from poorer families, often don't get the care they need.
Younger family members might be away working, leaving the elderly alone.
A program called Prabal Yatra (PY) is helping elderly people in about 100 villages in south Rajasthan.
They meet to exercise, play games, and talk about their welfare.
PY also helps them get healthcare and benefits from government schemes.
The program has found that many elderly people have problems with moving, seeing, hearing, and feeling good.
They provide things like glasses, walking aids, and even help with gardening to improve their nutrition.
The program shows that both health and social support are important for taking care of elderly people.
Elderly people in rural areas, particularly from weaker sections, often lack adequate care and attention.
The Prabal Yatra (PY) program in south Rajasthan focuses on health and wellness for elderly people in about 100 villages.
PY provides physical exercises, mental simulation games, and discussions on welfare, along with help accessing government benefits.
Assessments show that 90% of elderly people have at least one diminished capacity, with 79% having two or more.
Interventions include providing glasses, cataract surgeries, walking aids, and raised bed vegetable gardens to improve nutrition.
- Who
- Elderly people in rural communities, particularly from weaker sections
- What
- Neglect of elderly care needs and initiatives like Prabal Yatra to address these issues
- When
- Ongoing
- Where
- Rural areas, specifically south Rajasthan
- Why
- To improve health, nutrition, safety, and overall wellness of the elderly
- Program
- Prabal Yatra (PY)
- Location
- South Rajasthan
- Organization
- Action Research and Training for Health (ARTH)
- Approach
- Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE)
- Key Issues
- Mobility, nutrition, vision, cognition, hearing, mood
- Assessment
- 2,386 older persons assessed
- Findings
- 90% have at least one diminished capacity, 79% have two or more
- Interventions
- Glasses, cataract surgeries, walking aids, raised bed vegetable gardens