EXPLORING FUNCTIONAL INDEPENDENCE IN ELDERLY POPULATION: A STUDY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE MALAPPURAM DISTRICT

Globally, people are living longer.Most people nowadays are expecting living into their sixties and beyond.The number of elderly people in every nation on the earth is increasing, as is their share of the total population.Opportunities arise from living longer, not just for elderly individuals and their families but also for whole societies.An extra year offers the opportunity to explore new interests, a new job, or a long-neglected passion.Elderly individuals also make numerous contributions to their communities and families.The study aims to determine older people's functional independence, acknowledging that it is everyone's societal duty to respect and defend their right to autonomy and independent.The functional independence toward a healthy aging process was measured by analysing social, psychological, economical, and physical independence.The quantitative portion of the study was conducted using a cross-sectional survey methodology, while the qualitative data was obtained using an interview schedule.Primary data was gathered via multi-stage sampling.Mean value of the responses of each category is calculated separately.An index for each category's mean value is calculated.Most respondents are financially, socially, and physically independent, according to the information gathered.Factors including age, gender, work situation, family support, financial status, and educational background have a big impact on this.Most of them can make decisions on their own and managing their everyday activities on their own.Even if they are self-sufficient, many nevertheless encounter obstacles that might lower their standard of living.A sizable percentage still depends on their kids to provide for them financially.The main issues they deal with include physical health issues, social alienation and isolation, lack of digital awareness, financial insecurity, and inaccessibility to healthcare services.