Indian elderly: Some views of populace

This is an attempt to obtain the views and perceptions of Indian elderly fr om different socioeconomic settings on issues pertaining to their needs and expectations from the:family, the state and the society at large. The resu lts from the five different group discussions carried out among elderly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, highlight the differential needs and expectations de pending on the familial, educational, occupational and residential backgrou nd of the individual elderly. The findings supplement, to a large extent, t he understanding of subjective needs of individual elderly which is far dif ferent from the objective assessment of the same made through survey enquir ies.