Vol. 4, Issue 4, Part A (2018)

Abstract
Nearly one-fifth of the elderly people in the rural areas of Allahabad were suffering from depression. Female sex, lack of or poor social and family engagement in the form of not being involved in leisure time activities, not meeting relatives and friends on a regular basis, not having good relationship with family members, and not being cared for by family members, especially during illness, are the important predictors of depression among elderly. Appropriate implementation of national program and screening and management at the primary level is need of the hour for reducing the burden of depression among rural elderly. Apart from medical management, innovative interventions focused on improving the social and family engagement of elderly people with special focus on elderly females may go a long way in addressing the depression.