Marketing Health Care Products: A Practical Study on Requirements, Understanding, and Contentment with Particular Emphasis on the Elderly Population in Assam, India

ABSTRACT

It is undoubtful that the elderly population have needs and desires which is different from the other segment of customers. Taking the elderly market into consideration the present study is to understand the needs, knowledge, and satisfaction level of the elderly people regarding healthcare products and services offered by healthcare companies. A sample of 116 (both male and female) participants was taken. Samples were selected through the purposive sampling technique with age group 60 years and above. For the study, open-ended questions on needs and desires were distributed. Along with it, questionnaires on the level of knowledge and satisfaction were employed.

The result documented some needs and desires among the elderly population and level of knowledge regarding the needs. Additionally, a significant relationship was found among perceived health care products, the needs (such as medication, bathing, hygiene, mobility, caregiving services), and satisfaction level. Furthermore, perceived health care products and services significantly predicted satisfaction levels based on the marketing of healthcare products and services. The study will assist in understanding the untouched area of the marketing of the elderly population by helping the healthcare companies to formulate better marketing strategies.

Keywords: Healthcare products, Needs, Knowledge, Satisfaction, Elderly

INTRODUCTION

The fundamental purpose of marketing is to identify and meet the human needs and wants that create values for customers. According to “American Marketing Association”, marketing is an organisational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to the customers and for managing customer relationship in ways that benefit organisation and its stakeholders. It is also an art as well as a science which involves choosing and segregating the target market, creating, offering and freely exchanging products and services of values to each other. But marketing healthcare services and products presents a unique challenge as compared to other consumer goods and services. It is because it deals with the adoption or change of human health behaviour in contrast of just purchasing behaviour. It includes awareness and education and at the same time adoption of healthy behaviour which are difficult and can take time.

The idea of marketing theory consists of a range of concepts that are used to determine assumptions and articulate strategies. One such fundamental strategy is the concept of the marketing mix (Ziethaml & Bitner, 2000). In the words of Kotler, (2000), defines marketing mix as “the set of marketing tools that the firm uses to pursue its marketing objectives in the target market". Many researchers (Booms & Bitners, 1981; Lovelock, 2001; Ahmad, 2007) have argued in the past years over the traditional 4Ps of the marketing mix model and found it insufficient for the marketing of products or services. A product can be characterized in terms of tangibility, exchange value, and durability whereas a service grasps the characteristics of intangibility, inseparability, heterogeneity, and perishability. Due to the difference in both product and service, Brooms and Bitner (1981) had extended the marketing mix for services from 4Ps to 7Ps which include three more elements into the traditional model. In recent years, we can see that there is a significant shift in the various segments of the society where the marketing practices are dwelling in. Yet, we can see that the consumer market has been obsessed with some specific group of people especially the youths, kids, and women. While talking about the marketing concepts and theories in the modern era, one of the most crucial segments where marketing of products is still lagging is the focus on the elderly group of consumers (Jiang, 2017).

So how can we define the elderly market? Based on a study of the senior citizen’s lifestyle, researchers define the elderly market “as people of 55 years of age and older who are consumers of products and services for seniors” (Kim, et al., 2003). The needs and wants of the elderly people are peculiar and different from the other consumers. They might encounter various physical and mental complications such as chronic diseases, physical disabilities, mental illnesses, and other psychosocial problems that cannot be viewed in seclusion. In addition to that, many other domestic and social issues such as separation from their children, occupation, maltreatment, poor  knowledge and awareness about the risk factors, food, and nutritional requirements, psycho-emotional concerns like mental stress, difficulty in keeping themselves occupied, financial constraints, improper health-care system accessibility increase the risk of health deterioration for the aged people thus reflecting an adverse impact on the quality of life of the elderly people (Shrivastava et al, 1997).

Furthermore, age is characterized as one of the most critical features in influencing customer behaviour as people’s habits evolve with age, resulting in changing needs for products and services which tend to be different from the younger adults (Carpenter & Yoon, 2015). It is comprehensible that marketers cannot expect people from all the different age groups to have similar desires for products and services. Therefore, the elderly population is gradually becoming an interesting customer group, where the marketers are starting to focus their effort on the unique needs and demands of the older customers.

OVERVIEW OF ELDERLY POPULATION IN INDIA:

It is apparent that elderly people think and feels differently but they are not a single segment. This group is too large to be ignored, too complex to be stereotyped and too diverse to be predicted. When it comes to address the needs of the elderly market, business often fall back. May be their needs are different but they carry on with their same attitudes and behaviour which is not different from any other age group. If the marketers cannot fulfil the aged people need and wants, they are as likely as anyone to switch brands and suppliers (Beasley, 2008). However, due to increasing age, several complexities and physiological changes might occur like eyesight problem, hearing issues which make them unskilled. Hence the companies need to address these types of issues with the help of their marketing mix strategies without necessarily making a big deal of it. Every people are a potential customer and it suits with the elderly people as well who are a group of experienced consumers. An inclusive approach is required meaning not excluding the elderly people rather actively targeting them (Dixom, 2010). Population ageing is one of the most discussed global phenomena in the present century. Countries like India which is second most populous country, the population over the age of 65 years has tripled in the last 50 years in India. In 2001, the population of old people was 7.7 % of the total population which has increased to 8.14% in 2011 (according to 2001 census, Government of India). It is projected that the elders in India would increase both in absolute numbers and relative strength, indicating a steady swing to a senior population. As per Census of India projections, the percentage of elders as a percentage of total population in the country would jump from 7.4% in 2001 to 12.4% in 2026 and touch 19.7% in 2050. In 2011, India had about 76 million seniors above the age of 65 years and it is expected that this figure will grow to 173 million by 2025, further increasing to about 240 million by 2050 (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2008).

Considering this fact, the marketers need to have a constructive insight about their strategies and need to focus on this subgroup as well. The healthcare industry in India is large in number and is still expending but when the individual expenditure in healthcare is seen the results are not satisfying. India is lacking behind in comparison to other developed nation like the United States and the European countries or other emerging economies like China and Brazil. India’s public healthcare expenditure is actually less than half the global average, (WHO, 2012). The condition is severely poor especially for those living in the rural parts as they do not have access to health infrastructure. It is estimated that India has an average of 0.6 doctors for every 1000 people as compared to the global average (CII & Technopak Advisors Ltd, 2011). This reflects a significant opportunity for those companies which are willing to address the needs of aged people in later life. These opportunities not only exist for the companies which are developing products and services for the present elderly customers but also for the slowly aging workforce.

HOW THE ELDERLY MARKET CAN BE SEGMENTED?

Often the marketers who outlook the elderly customers as a heterogeneous segment of the population tackle the tricky task of deciding the segmentation process. Most researchers prefer the criteria of choosing age as a convenient basis for segmentation due to the availability of data, yet many studies show that age does not produce effective segmentation. So, what can be the relevant basis of segmentation for the elderly population? Nowadays, consumer's taste and preferences vary with their needs and preferences for products and services. Hence to satisfy the customers and market efficiently the customers can be grouped in a way based on the similarity of their responses. Instead of using a uniform marketing approach to appeal to every potential customer, marketers can design different products and services for a specific segment of customers (Moschis, Lee & Mathur, 1997). Even though most marketers are aware of the aging marketplace, yet most of them are still not convinced that they should appeal to the elderly consumer market differently than they presently market to the general population. The idea of marketing to an elderly customer is very novel and narrative as for years the marketplace had focused more on the younger customers.

Hence, there exist a generation gap between the marketers and the target elderly audience which results in uncertainty while making marketing decisions (Moschis, Lee & Mathur, 1997). Furthermore, the worldwide perspective of the elderly population is likely to increase nearly double in 20 years due to advancements in healthcare facilities and better economic conditions available in developing nations (Moschis, 1992). Consumers who have more economic power are prone to establishing better business facilities and the elderly consumer group is increasingly becoming a powerful consumer group. But when it comes to marketing of healthcare products to the elderly population, aging or age of the population comes in criterion. Meyer- Hentschel and Meyer-Hentschel, (2009); Berghaus, (2006) and Stuttgart, (2006) reveals that there is no agreement between the characteristics of an older person and the age of a person as there is a deal of variability in aging. Also, age is multidimensional which means an individual can grow old biologically, psychologically, and socially and therefore defining age with a specific boundary won’t derive any meaningful definition. Due to the complexity of defining age as a parameter of the elderly, marketers often fall into a dilemma of segmentation. The marketers must decide if the elderly customers should be considered as one segmented or heterogeneous. Additionally, the mature market should be subdivided to target and positioning the products and services to the elderly consumers (Moschis, Lee & Mathur, 1997). The decision of marketing the products and services are usually based on their understanding supposition which is formed about the elder consumer group. They perform stereotypic profiles to develop strategies for elderly persons; for example, elderly people are socially isolated and lack adventure and romanticism. This hypothesis might fit some individuals but generalizing the whole population is likely to be vague (Moschis, Lee & Mathur, 1997).

In India, the needs of the elderly population are equivalent to the global scenario which witnessed a similar upsurge in the elderly population. Furthermore, some factors are relevant especially to India, that underlines the importance of addressing elderly needs in the country. Limited health care facilities especially for the elderly, lack of trained manpower geriatric care, absence of insurance products and services for elderlies combines to neglect component of the health system and thereby, necessitating immediate light to the growing burden. Lack of stable income and financial dependency remains a burden for the elderly, highlighted that only 33.5% of them were economically independent, 13.3% were partially dependent and 51.8% were fully dependent on their children. Other issues such as lack of access to benefits such as pension schemes, perks to the elderlies, and provident funds added complexities to the financial issues (FICCI, 2014).

LITERATURE REVIEW

Products can be identified as any physical object, service, personality, organization, and desires that are offered in the market which helps in deriving some attention, acquisition, or consumption. It helps in fulfilling the needs and requirements of the consumers with the help of goods, services, or ideas (Sharma, 2008; Drummonr & Ensor, 2005). But a product does not need to be physical or tangible in nature every time. Sometimes its nature can be in the form of intangible, perishable, and inseparable as well which is known as service (Levitt, 1974). A service product should be developed from the perspective of the consumers which incorporates all aspects of service performance that create value that responds to customer’s primary needs (Lovelock et al., 2007). The marketers should bring the element of innovation and customization while responding to customers’ needs and wants to add value to the products offered by them. Therefore, a study by Satit et al. (2012) discussed the relationship between marketing mix and customer decision- making where they have defined the product as one of the core predictors. The study revealed two perceptions that will persuade the customers to increase their purchase intentions and influence them to buy frequently. Those are high product quality and high customer satisfaction. But the consumers are not always motivated towards adopting innovation. Whatever may be the target market, the adoption of innovation is always an obstruction. Hence to overcome this hindrance effective marketing strategies are required to influence the consumers to change their behaviour. However, when it comes to targeting the elderly population, a special set of unique strategies are required to deal with the circumstances. Some of the reasons which act as a barrier in the adoption of new products by the elderly population include shortening product life cycle, rapidly changing technology, and a growing diverse market (Lunsford, & Burnet, 1992).

Further studies revealed that in the recent decade marketing and advertising companies are tapping their focus considerably on the young consumers thus neglecting the focus on the elderly consumers. They have formed a stereotypical notion which created a hindrance in the thinking process thus created a conclusion that the elderly consumers comprise a low net worth and are solely dependent on the income of their children for survival (Dwight & Urman, 1985; Bivins, 1984; Allan, 1981). However, many researchers have contradicted this subtext and represented a different picture which signifies that the elderly segment of the population stands for a vast untouched market that has the financial earnings to remain independent on its members (Klebl, 2007; Arnold & Krancioch, 2007; Hunke & Gestner, 2006; Haimann, 2005; Hölper, 2002). Many studies further revealed that the demographic characteristics of elderly consumers are high in educational qualification and independent in the source of income. They have even marked their existence in the world of digital and virtual media through the access of the internet and print media (Meiners, 2010). Hence, there is a vast potential in the elderly group in regards to buying and spending behaviour than that of the younger market. If the elderly consumers are motivated, they can purchase more investment properties, cars, travel more often, and purchase better quality products. Therefore, considering the elderly market, marketing companies can prominently target this segment of customers in the near-term decades.

Additionally, a study by Bhuyan et al. (2020) revealed the importance of ethics by healthcare service providers in dealing with customers. The study disclosed the significant difference in work experience and education qualification among the healthcare service providers in terms of ethical consideration. Therefore, it is also vital to change the attitude of healthcare service providers and should have adequate knowledge and awareness about the ethical codes among all the stages of the medical process.

For any product to be launched in the market, the companies develop new marketing strategies and plans. But, before making any strategy, the companies have to gather information on the targeted people, and accordingly, they can increase the marketing based on their demand. The problem exists with the companies due to their incapability to focus on the needs of all the segments of the population of which some specific groups of people are mostly emphasized and few are overlooked. However, an additional section which comprises a major population is the group of aged class remains unnoticed. Another problem which the companies are facing is in identifying the appropriate products and services to offer customer satisfaction to the elderly customers and the application of the appropriate marketing strategies on these segments as numerous approaches and alternatives are depending on the nature of the market.

Therefore, the aim of the study is to identify the various healthcare needs of elderly people, to identify the level of knowledge regarding health care products and services among elderly people, to study if the healthcare products and services adopted by the healthcare companies for the elderly people have a significant correlation with needs and demands and customer’s satisfaction and to identify if the perceived health care products and services would significantly predict satisfaction among elderly people.

METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH DESIGN AND DATA COLLECTION

A descriptive research design was used in the present study. The targeted respondents come from different gender, age groups, education levels, mode of stay, monthly earning, and source of income. The responses were collected by visiting different participants to encompass better coverage of responses. To accomplish the objectives, a purposive sampling technique was used.

Inclusion criteria:

 Age group (60 years and above)

 Both male and female

 Residence of Assam, India

 Respondents who have given their consent

Exclusion criteria

 Participants under 60 years

 participants who are not permanent residents of Assam

 Participants suffering from severe psychological disorders

Ethical consideration:

 Permission was taken from the participants for data collection

 The informed consent of the participants was taken.

 Confidentiality: Ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of personal information

 Non-inclusion of subject’s personal information like name and address in data files.

THE RESEARCH POPULATION AND SAMPLE SIZE

Any research population must be accurately specified to collect the required data for the research problem. In the present study, the target population was the elderly people (both male and female) who were above the age of 60 years from the select district of Assam. The geographical location used for the study is Assam, a north-east state of India. Out of 33 districts, three districts, namely Guwahati, Nagaon, and Tezpur districts were taken into consideration for the collection of data. With the help of Rao sample size calculation, a total of 116 samples was selected to conduct the study (F=44%; M=56%), since the institutes that did not allow to collect data were excluded from the list.

TOOLS FOR THE STUDY

A socio-demographic data sheets as well as a self-developed questionnaire was applied to a heterogeneous elderly population in Assam. The structured questionnaire was used to conduct the study. The questionnaire was divided into 3 parts. The 1st part of the questionnaire includes items related to the identified needs of the elderly people, 2nd part of the questionnaire includes items related to healthcare products offered by the companies, and 3rd part of the questionnaire includes items related to the satisfaction level of the elderly people. All the items in the scale were analyzed using IBM SPSS®23. The items were investigated for Skewness, Kurtosis, Item Discrimination, Total-Item Correlation, and Cronbach’s Alpha.

PROCEDURE FOR DATA COLLECTION

The process for data collection for this study involved using structured questionnaires. Elderly individuals were selected to participate who were employed, unemployed, or retired. Date and time of the data collection depends on the convenience of the participants The researcher visited participants at their preferred locations and times and developed rapport with the participants They were informed about the purpose of the study, and none of them declined to take part. Informed consent was obtained, and they were assured confidentiality of their responses as the collected data would be used for academic purpose. The questionnaires were distributed individually and the participants took an hour to complete filling the questionnaire. Communications were conducted in the local language, and participants were thanked for their participation. The duration of data collection was from November 2021 to June 2021.

TABLE 1: RELIABILITY OF THE VARIABLES

Table 1 contains Cronbach’s Alpha for all the dimensions of the scale after the deletion of items that did not comply with the above-mentioned criteria. From this, it can be seen that both variables have very good internal reliability.

Therefore, the following tools were used to collect data:

1. Needs assessment Items: Need is assessed by using self-developed items, which includes items based on daily activities such as exercise, medication, bathing, hygiene, mobility, food & beverages, caregiving services, and other useful items.

2. Perceived healthcare products and services scale: To comprehend the perception of the elderly people for the healthcare products and services offered by the healthcare companies, 13 items were developed which was measured on a 5-point Likert scale. The Cronbach's alpha for this scale is .833

3. Level of satisfaction scale: This scale is used to determine the satisfaction level of the elderly people, comprising of 7 items which are measured using a 5-point Likert scale. The Cronbach's alpha for this scale is .709.

RESULT

TABLE 2: IDENTIFIED NEEDS AND DEMANDS OF THE ELDERLY PEOPLE

Source: compiled by the researcher

FIGURE 1: NEEDS AND DEMANDS OF THE ELDERLY PEOPLE

Source: Compiled by the researcher

The above graph highlighted that the highest percentage of needs among the elderly people are medicines (24%), followed by bathing (23%), hygiene (21%), mobility (16%), other useful items (10%) and services (6%).

FIGURE 2: KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BATHING PRODUCTS

Source: Compiled by the researcher

Figure 2 showed that 35% of the participants have the perfect knowledge of bathing products, 31% have partial knowledge, 24% have poor knowledge and 10% do not know about the products.

FIGURE 3: KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MEDICINE PRODUCTS

Source: Compiled by the researcher

Figure 3 explained that 49% of the participants have perfect knowledge about medicinal products, 31% have partial knowledge, 10% of them have poor knowledge with 10% no knowledge at all.

FIGURE 4: KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HYGIENE PRODUCTS

Source: Compiled by the researcher

Figure 4 showed that 36% of them have partial knowledge about hygiene products, 30% have perfect knowledge, 21% have poor knowledge and 13% have no knowledge.

FIGURE 5: KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MOBILITY PRODUCTS

Source: Compiled by the researcher

Figure 5 portrayed that 38% have partial knowledge regarding mobility products, 27% have perfect knowledge, 26% have poor knowledge and 9% have no knowledge.

TESTING OF HYPOTHESIS

TABLE 3: COEFFICIENT OF CORRELATION AMONG THE HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WITH NEEDS AND SATISFACTION OF THE ELDERLY PEOPLE

*Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed)

**Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)

Table 3, represents Pearson’s correlation among the variables in a horizontal pattern. Satisfaction bathing needs, hygiene needs, and mobility needs have correlated significantly with perceived healthcare products. However, caregiving needs and other useful items were not found to be significantly correlated with healthcare products. Since Satisfaction have correlated significantly with healthcare products, therefore we fail to reject the hypothesis.

TABLE 4: PERCEIVED HEALTH CARE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SIGNIFICANTLY PREDICTING SATISFACTION

Table 4, highlighted that perceived health care products and services significantly predicted satisfaction among the elderlies (p>.03). Since satisfaction is predicting the perceived healthcare products and services, therefore we fail to reject the hypothesis.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

The primary objective of the present study was to understand how products and services offered by the companies are related to satisfaction among elderly people.  The study also examined the various needs and demands as well as the knowledgeable aspect of the elderly people related to the products and services offered by the companies.  Most of the results supported the hypotheses of the study. Regarding the open-ended question, various needs have been extracted related to medicine, bathing, hygiene, mobility, care giving services, and a few other useful items. The identified needs and demands of the elderly people revealed interesting insights. In medication, the participants tend to prefer Ayurvedic medicine followed by Homeopathic and Allopathic. The result resembles the study by Katole, (2020) which is based on the customer’s preference for Ayurvedic and Allopathic. The study reveals that Ayurvedic medicine is preferred due to its low price, fewer side effects, and a mixture of natural ingredients. Similar assumptions can be made in the above context due to which the participants have chosen more of Ayurvedic medicine than that of others. In bathing, participants preferred shower chairs and sponges and washing aids followed by shower mats, hand shower and, geyser. This result substantiates the study done by Singh, (2007) which highlighted the safety problems among elderly people due to the loss of physical capabilities and poor design of bathing equipment. he loss of potential to bend, grip, and kneel makes the aged people vulnerable to receiving injuries from applying excessive force. Due to this reason, the aged participants might prefer to use a shower chair and shower mats which require less force and better grip in handling the taps and showers while bathing. In hygiene, participants preferred dental care aids followed by adult diapers, nail cutters, reusable bed pads, body oil, and wipers. The result of the study can again relate with the study done by Singh, (2007) which examined the interrelationship between oral health and general health care, particularly among older people. The elderly people in their later age encounter a series of oral hygiene problems ranging from chewing difficulty, eating abilities, and nutritional intake. It requires a regular dental examination with necessary oral care equipment. Due to this reason, elderly participants might prefer to use dental care aids. In mobility, participants preferred walking stick than wheelchairs, shoes, and knee caps, foldable walker, crutches, and customized bed handle. The result of the study can relate to the study done by Lugun, (2007) which portrayed aging as an inevitable phenomenon. However, mobility and movement are important for a healthy quality of living in the later stage of life. Despite their inability to walk and roam in their later life, individuals can take the help of the supporting equipment and accessories which doesn’t constrain their enthusiasm to work. In the care giving service, participants preferred in-house caregivers more than nursing facilities with, care co-coordinator, and medical support team. The reason might be supported by the aspect that elderly people may face difficulty in moving from one ground to another. Further, elderly people might be dependent on their family for establishing contacts with the healthcare team and for other technical procedures. Hence, the in-house care service might act as a user friendly and convenient method for elderly people. Kaya et. al (2017) in their study have highlighted in-house care service as a boon for elderly people as it helps in maintaining social relationships without leaving their family environment. It is further mentioned as less expensive. Lastly, in other useful items, hot water bags and eye care items are mostly preferred by the elderly participants followed by a hearing machine, personal emergency control system, and anti-slip mat.

Regarding knowledge about bathing products, the present study revealed that 35% of the elderly participants have perfect knowledge and 10% have no knowledge regarding the products. since bathing is an important and personal activity for the older people, which might be related to wellbeing, relaxation, pleasure or daily routine (Ahluwalia et al., 2010). This might encourage older people to gather much knowledge of bathing products. Personal hygiene indicates how important it is for the elderly to be hygienic, as they are vulnerable to life-threatening diseases and suffer from various health issues such as tooth loss, infections, cardiovascular diseases, etc. (Singh, 2007). Therefore, they need to keep themselves updated with innovative hygienic products. 38% of participants have partial knowledge, however, 27% have perfect knowledge and 9% do not know about mobility products. With the process of aging, older people go through a series of changes that can affect the movement. Amongst the mobility supports, the most commonly used are walkers, canes, and wheelchairs. Since such devices differ concerning the level of support, stability, and freedom of movement, (Medola et al., 2016) therefore maximum participants might have partial knowledge.

Furthermore, the inter-correlation result among the healthcare products and services with the needs and satisfaction of the elderly people is shown in table 2. The motive behind the relationship could be highlighted by noting that customer satisfaction is achieved by offering safe, accessible, and equitable products or services, as well as improved quality and effective services to a greater number of consumers, which may help in upholding the level of satisfaction (Patwardhan & Spencer, 2012). The study revealed that perceived health care products and services offered by the companies are significantly predicting satisfaction at 0.03 level. Better health care products are accessible by older people, the more they are satisfied. Since the quality of the product and perceived value plays a very important role, they both might influence satisfaction (Malik, 2012). Also, Phusavat, (2006) explained another important factor regarding the importance of customer satisfaction: that perceived value both directly and indirectly influences customer satisfaction. In some industries, quality may have a significant positive relationship with customer satisfaction which may not be the case in other industries (Al-Hawari and Ward, 2006).  Hence, the present study will help the healthcare companies to understand the needs and satisfaction level of the elderly people in offering the requisite products and services at the grassroots level.

CONCLUSION

The elderly people are likely to have different sets of needs and wants than other segmented consumers. In the later stage, elderly people encounter a higher prevalence of chronic diseases, physical disabilities, mental illnesses, and other psychosocial problems that cannot be viewed in seclusion. Various other factors such as separation from their children, occupation, maltreatment, poor knowledge and awareness about the risk factors, food and nutritional requirements, psycho-emotional concerns like mental stress, difficulty in keeping themselves occupied, financial constraints, and improper health-care system accessibility upsurge the risk of health deterioration for the elderly people (Shrivastava et al, 2013). A wide range of factors that affects the mental as well as the physical health of the aged people consists of a variety of social concerns thus reflecting an adverse impact on the quality of life. The primary objective of the present study is to understand whether the healthcare products and services offered by the healthcare companies are fulfilling the needs, knowledge, and satisfaction of the elderly customers. The study also examined the relationship between the demographic profile of the respondents in determining their needs, knowledge, and satisfaction level.

DECLARATION OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The author declared no potential conflict of interest for the research, authorship, and publication of this article.

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