Vol. 5, Issue 4, Part H (2019)

Abstract
The percentage of the elderly in India has been increasing at an increasing rate in recent years and the trend is likely to continue in the coming decades. The share of population over the age of 60 is projected to increase from 8 percent in 2015 to 19 percent in 2050 by the end of the century; the elderly will constitute nearly 34 percent of the total population in the country. Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will nearly double from 12% to 22%. By 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than 5 years. As the age progresses the functional capacity of older adults decreases. This research study was focused on the functional status of the older adults. An intervention of exercise was given to assess the improvements in the functional status and to find out the association between the post and the selected demographic variables. In pretest majority 94% of older adults were highly dependent, whereas in posttest 77% of them were highly dependent. No one in pretest was independent, but after the exercise program 8% of them became independent. Exercises have a vital role in improving the functional status of older adults.