Abstract

The noticeable rise in the elderly population in recent times is commendable. Nevertheless, inadequate care for this age group could result in unfavourable ageing, placing a strain on healthcare resources and negatively impacting society. This research examines the physiological factors determining the well-being of the elderly in Ogun State, Nigeria, aiming to understand conditions conducive to healthy ageing. The study was a descriptive survey. At the 0.05 level of significance, two hypotheses were tested and two research questions were answered in order to address the research objectives. The study's sampling strategy was a multi-stage sampling procedure comprising four stages adopted for the 994 elderly individuals over the age of 60 selected. The local governments were chosen using a simple random sampling technique; and the location and participants were chosen using purposive and proportional random sampling techniques, respectively. The Ageing Condition Scale (ACS) (r = 0.84), and the Adult Physiological Scale (APS) (r = 0.88) were the two primary measuring tools utilised. Regression analysis and pairwise Pearson correlation were used to evaluate the data at the 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that only two of the six chronic medical conditions were the most common. Physiological factors (r =.987, P <.05) were significant for healthy aging with relative contribution (β = 0.946; t = 49.853; p < 0.05). About 90% of the variance in the ageing conditions of the male and female elderly is due to the joint contribution of the physiological factors, while the locations—rural and urban—had an impact on the process of healthy ageing in the study location. It was concluded that the healthy ageing conditions of the elderly in Ogun State were determined by physiological factors. As a result, social welfare programmes for the care of the elderly should be established by the government as well as by families, and routine medical examinations for the elderly are advised.