Table 1 shows the prevalence of healthcare utilisation among the elderly by their current working status in different socioeconomic and demographic parameters.
Amongst the working elderly, nearly half of the 70 plus elderly availed healthcare facilities in private service whereas only 26 per cent availed in the public service. There was no substantial difference between the male and female elderly availing healthcare facility in private service. However, the same differed by around two per cent in the case of public services, 24 per cent and 26 per cent respectively. Around 50 per cent of the working and never married elderly and 40 per cent of working divorced/separated/ never married elderly availed healthcare from some other source of healthcare.
Out of all working older adults, 25 per cent used private and 41 per cent some other mode of health service. Out of all the non-working older adults, around 56 per cent availed private healthcare facilities, 26 per cent availed public healthcare facilities, and 34 per cent availed another mode of healthcare services, in the 70 plus non-working age group, 56 per cent of people availed themselves healthcare in some private facility care. Many non-working Muslim older adults availed themselves healthcare in some private facility (60 per cent against 55 per cent). Among the non-working older adults having a higher level of education, 63 per cent had availed healthcare in some private facility, the same for older adults having no education was 54 per cent. Only 29 per cent of the older adults from the poorest wealth quintile availed healthcare at some public facility, the same for the private hospital was relatively high, 45 per cent. Out of all non-working elderly having severe ADL, 54 per cent and 24 per cent preferred private and public healthcare facilities regularly.
Table 2 shows the logistic regression results of healthcare utilisation among the elderly by their current working status in different socioeconomic and demographic parameters.
Compared to males, working female older adults were 23 per cent more likely to use private healthcare facilities for themselves. Compared to currently married working older adults, never married working older adults were highly likely to be availing public healthcare facilities. Additionally, compared to the currently married working elderly, older adults working and divorced/separated/deserted were 18 per cent more likely to avail a public healthcare facility. Compared to Hindu working older adults, Muslim older adults were 64 per cent more likely to avail themselves of healthcare in a private facility. Compared to working Hindu older adults, Muslim older adults were 34 per cent less likely to avail healthcare facilities in other healthcare facilities. Compared to working older adults having no education, primarily educated working older adults were 32 per cent less likely to be availing of another form of a healthcare facility.
Compared to non-working male older adults, non-working female older adults were 27 per cent more likely to use private healthcare facilities. Compared to currently married non-working older, older adults who were not working and divorced/separated/deserted were 27 per cent less likely to avail a private healthcare facility. Compared to Hindu non-working older adults, Muslim non-working older adults were 23 per cent more likely to avail themselves healthcare in private facilities. Compared to non-working Hindu older adults, Muslim older adults were 25 per cent less likely to avail healthcare facilities in other healthcare facilities. Compared to non-working older adults residing in an urban area, rural non-working older adults were 17 per cent more likely to avail themselves of private healthcare facilities.
Compared to non-working older adults having no education, primarily educated working older adults were 26 per cent more likely to be availing public form of a healthcare facility. Similarly, in comparison, non-working older adults having no education, secondary and higher educated elderly were 23 per cent and 63 per cent less likely to be availing public form of a healthcare facility. Compared to non-working older adults from the poorest wealth quintile, older adults from the wealthiest quintile were 47 per cent less likely to be availing of another type of healthcare facility. Non-working older adults with no ADL were 28 per cent less likely to have availed healthcare in another healthcare facility than those with severe ADL.
Figure 1 shows the comparison of working and non-working older adults who have consulted doctors in the last 12 months across various wealth quintiles. Among the richest working and non-working older adults, there was around a ten-percentage point difference in the prevalence of consulting doctors in the last 12 months. As for the older adults from the poorest wealth quintile, their prevalence of working and non-working adults visiting a hospital in the past 12 months was 50 per cent and 42 per cent, respectively.
Figure 2 shows the line graph comparison of older adults who had consulted an AYUSH practitioner in the last 12 months across the various quintiles of wealth. Amongst the poorest wealth quintile, the prevalence for consulting AYUSH was almost equal across both working and non-working older adults (around 8%). The older adults of the middle-income quintile also had an equal prevalence of consulting AYUSH for medical needs (8%).
Figure 3 shows the comparison of working and non-working older adults who have consulted dentists in the last 12 months across various wealth quintiles. Amongst the poorest wealth quintile, only 0.41 per cent of the non-working older adults consulted a dentist in the last 12 months; the same for working older adults was almost double (0.82%).
Figure 4 shows the line graph comparison of older adults who had consulted a nurse/ midwife in the last 12 months across the various quintiles of wealth. In the middle wealth quintile, around 0.67 per cent and 0.79 per cent of the non-working and working elderly respectively had consulted a nurse or midwife in the last 12 months. At the same time, around 1.08 per cent of the older adults and 0.51 per cent of non-working and working older adults from the wealthiest quintile had consulted a nurse or midwife.
Figure 5 compares working and non-working older adults who have had physiotherapists in the last 12 months across various wealth quintiles. Among the richest working and non-working older adults, there was around a 0.2 per cent point difference in the prevalence of consulting doctors in the last 12 months. As for the older adults from the poorest wealth quintile, their prevalence of working and non-working adults visiting a hospital in the past 12 months was equal (0.2% only).
Figure 6 shows the line graph comparison of older adults who had consulted a pharmacist in the last 12 months across the various quintiles of wealth. Amongst the poorest wealth quintile, the prevalence for consulting one was almost equal across both working and non-working older adults (around 10%). The older adults of the middle-income quintile also had an approximately equal prevalence of consulting a pharmacist for medical needs, 10.6 and 10.8 per cent, respectively.
Figure 7 shows the line graph comparison of older adults who had consulted a traditional health practitioner in the last 12 months across the various quintiles of wealth. In the middle wealth quintile, around 7.4 per cent and 9 per cent of the non-working and working elderly respectively had consulted traditional healthcare last 12 months. At the same time, around 4.5 per cent of the older adults and 6.9 per cent of non-working and working older adults from the wealthiest quintile had consulted a traditional medical practitioner.
Figure 8 shows the line graph comparison of older adults who had consulted other healthcare personnel in the last 12 months across the various quintiles of wealth. Older adults from the poorest wealth quintile had a large percentage of older adults, both working (6.6%) and non-working (6.4%) consulting the other medical practitioners for their health needs.
Table 3 shows the reason for the working and non-working older adults for the last visit to the healthcare facility. Amongst the working older adults, around 12 per cent had visited for a preventive check-up, 80 per cent had visited due to sickness and 13 per cent for regular treatment or follow-up. Among the non-working older adults, around 12 per cent visited healthcare for preventive check-ups, 21 per cent for regular treatment/ follow-up visits and around 75 per cent for sickness.
Table 4 shows the various reasons for working and non-working older adults not going for treatment. Around 75 per cent of working older adults did not go for a check-up because they did not fall sick, around 10 per cent because the illness was not serious, 7 per cent did not go because they had medicine at home, and 2 per cent did not because they did not have money and the cost was high, and another 2 per cent did not go for other reasons. Amongst the non-working older adults, around 71 per cent did not go for treatment because they did not get sick, 10 per cent did not go because the illness was not serious, 11 per cent because they had medicine at home and around 3 per cent because they did not have enough financial stability.