A Study to Assess the Level of Awareness and Utilization of Government Welfare Schemes Among Senior Citizens Attending Tertiary Care Centre Thrissur

Democracy transition increased the proportion of elderly in India. Elderly persons experience increased economic dependency for their day-to-day existence. The Government of India provides monetary benefits through senior citizens' government schemes. Health outcomes of the elderly improve when they are economically independent. The government welfare schemes for senior citizens in India aim to improve their quality of life by providing financial support, healthcare, and access to essential resources. These schemes address various needs, including financial security, healthcare, and access to and so on. The title of the study is “To assess the awareness and utilization of government welfare schemes among senior citizens attending tertiary care center Thrissur”. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the awareness regarding government welfare schemes among senior citizens, to determine the utilization of these schemes among them, and to find out the association of awareness and utilization of government welfare schemes with selected variables. Methodology: The method used was an analytical cross-sectional study. Among 400 patients aged above 60 years who met the inclusion criteria and were receiving treatment in both inpatient and outpatient departments of a tertiary care center. self-structured questionnaire was used to assess their awareness and utilization of government welfare schemes. Results: The results of the study showed that Majority 347 (86.75%) had average awareness, 50 (12.5%) had good awareness, and only 3 (0.75%) had poor awareness regarding government welfare schemes., Majority 300 (75%), were utilizing IGNOAPS, social security schemes, or IGNWPS. The study also revealed a significant association between educational status and awareness (P = 0.002), utilization (P = 0.007), family income (P = 0.011), and APL/BPL status (P = 0.021). Conclusion: The study we could understand that majority of subject were aware about the government welfare schemes, and most of the subjects were utilizing IGNOAPS/social security scheme/IGNWPS.