Health Needs Assessment of Elderly people Living Alone in DaHu Township , MiaoLi County
Date Issued
2015
Date
2015
Author(s)
CHAN, SHIU-NI
Abstract
Purpose: This study investigated the physiopsychological and social health status of solitary older adults in Dahu Township (Miaoli County, Taiwan) to determine their primary health concerns and needs. Through emphasizing the health demands of this population, the course and results of this study clarify prospective policies for potential dispatch at the Dahu Township Public Health Center. Accordingly, a friendly environment can be constructed to benefit the health, safety, participatory, and lifelong learning facets of older adults living alone in Dahu in order to improve their physiopsychological and social health, thereby enhancing their quality of life. Method: Four social needs identified by Bradshaw in 1972 were applied to assess the health needs of a sample of solitary older adults living in Dahu. Through evaluating the normative, comparative, expressed, and felt needs, their primary health concerns and needs were determined. Additionally, relevant recommendations, such as intervention programs for enhancing the quality of life of the study population, were proposed. Results: Hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease were common chronic conditions diagnosed in the study population. These people also expressed trouble sleeping. Additionally, most people who experienced difficulty managing their daily activities had the highest difficulty in climbing and descending stairs among their daily activities. Regarding instrumental activities of daily living, high emphasis was placed on using telephones, taking medication, and managing finances. Most falling incidents occurred in home environments. Regarding the study population’s health and physiopsychological status, most of them expressed no particular cause of concern (average). Furthermore, most participants were generally satisfied with their current living situation, were concerned about personal health problems, and were informed on the national pension system. The quality of life aspects of the study population (ranked in the descending order) are the environment, social relations, and physiopsychological health. Psychological health and the environmental aspects were of greater concern among the women than among the men. Satisfactory self-perceived health was positively reflected in the four aspects of living quality, and high self-perceived living satisfaction was associated with increased physiological health. Recommendations: According to the assessment results on the health requirements of older adults living alone in Dahu, priority action is recommended in promoting health care, psychological health, and home safety. Intervention strategies and models must be planned prior to implementing health promotion activities and according to specific local conditions. Additionally, public health care personnel from the Dahu Township Public Health Center should resume family visits and emphasize case management services including promoting health and emphasizing disease prevention. Only through long-term family visits and case management services can the Dahu Township Public Health Center learn the actual needs of the people living in the community. Based on this knowledge, providing diverse care services can facilitate achieving the goal of promoting a healthy community for older citizens to maintain an active and healthy attitude toward aging as well as facilitate aging in place.
Subjects
health Needs Assessment
Elderly people Living Alone
Quality of life
SDGs
Type
thesis