An Empirical Investigation of Some Social and Economic Remittances from Relatives to the Elderly Edo People

Abstract

This study explored the level of some socio-economic remittances from relatives to the elderly in Edo Central. It focused on the range of income/financial assistance; revealed the regularity of assistance with food, clothing, laundry and medicine. A total of 514 respondents, 65 years and above, selected by systematic random sampling completed the face to face interview and administered with a questionnaire. The results indicated very poor level of assistance from relatives to the elderly people. The elderly male respondents (37.5%) who indicated not, at all receiving food items were in excess of their female counterparts (23.6%). Precisely 30.7% had no assistance to launder their clothing and 29.9% of the respondents indicated that they were not assisted with medical needs by relatives. It is recommended that the ageing population must not be left to fend for themselves and old age should not be made to look like punishment by abandoning the elderly.

Key words: Remittances, Elderly, Edo Central, Edo people.