THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN AGING SOCIETY WITH ACTIVE AGING IN THE SERVICE AREA OF BAN THAM SUB-DISTRICT HEALTH PROMOTING HOSPITAL, DOK KHAM TAI DISTRICT, PHAYAO PROVINCE
Keywords:
Active Aging, Older person, Development of an Aging Society, Community Empowerment, Power-with ApproachAbstract
This research aims to: 1) examine the community context, analyze the situation, and assess the active aging status of older adults; 2) investigate approaches to developing an aging society with active aging; and 3) evaluate the outcomes of implementing these approaches in the service area of Ban Tham Sub-district Health Promoting Hospital, Dok Kham Tai District, Phayao Province. The study employed an Action Research methodology, using the concept of Active Aging as a research framework. The sample consisted of 667 older adults aged 60 years and above, selected through proportional random sampling. Research instruments included: 1) questionnaires, 2) in-depth interview guides, 3) participatory observation forms, and 4) focus group discussion records. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Paired t-test). Qualitative data were subjected to content analysis and presented through descriptive narration.
The findings revealed that the average active aging index was 0.767, with the community context demonstrating sufficient resources, network potential, and suitability for developing an aging society with active aging. The development of such a society comprised four key components: 1) resource mobilization, 2) participatory action planning, 3) creative problem-solving and experimentation, and 4) monitoring and evaluation for learning and societal improvement, involving participation from all sectors. Post-implementation results in the Ban Tham Sub-district Health Promoting Hospital service area showed an increase in the active aging index from 0.767 to 0.836, shifting from a moderate to a high level, with a statistically significant improvement at the 0.05 level.
The key knowledge and findings from this research center on the application of a "Power-with" approach, emphasizing community empowerment and social welfare provision. This model can be adapted for application in other areas with similar contexts.
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