Introduction: Depression has been identified as a silent killer of modern era. Apart from being a pathological mood disturbance characterized by feelings, attitudes and beliefs the person has about oneself and his environment such as pessimism, hopelessness, helplessness, low self esteem and a guilt feeling, depression is the most common disturbance of mood experienced by the elderly. A significant number of the elderly today are likely to have physical and mental morbidity besides having psychosocial problems. Among the various mental disorders of old age, depression is the commonest problem observed in the community. Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression among elderly living with their families and living in old age home in selected areas of Delhi. Methods: A descriptive survey was conducted on hundred elderly (50 elderly living with their families and 50 living in old age home) aged 60 years and above purposely selected from residential areas of Delhi. A standardized tool was used for data collection and the data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Results revealed that the elderly living with their families were more prone to depression as compared to elderly living in old age home. Further, education status had a significant relationship with the prevalence of depression among elderly living with families. Conclusion: Results confirmed that the prevalence of depression was more among elderly living with their families. However, in India such studies are limited and need further exploration.

Keywords: Elderly; Depression; Old Age Home; Prevalence.