ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Describe community nurses' experiences regarding the meaning and promotion of healthy aging in northeastern Thailand. METHOD: Data were collected through five focus group interviews with 36 community nurses in northeastern Thailand. Latent content analysis was conducted to analyze the data. FINDINGS: Healthy aging was characterized by the interconnection of older persons, older persons' family members, and the community. Healthy aging was associated with two themes: "being strong" and "being a supporter and feeling supported." The nurses' experiences in promoting healthy aging were described by the themes "providing health assessment," "sharing knowledge," and "having limited resources." CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study provide a deeper understanding of the meaning of healthy aging from a holistic viewpoint. Community nurses must pay attention to older persons and their surroundings when planning how to promote healthy aging. Person-centeredness should be applied in practice to promote healthy aging. The current findings contribute useful information that should help policy makers develop healthy aging strategies in Thailand.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Healthy Aging/psychology , Nurses, Community Health/psychology , Adult , Female , Focus Groups , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nurses, Community Health/trends , Qualitative Research , ThailandABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to compare the level of resilience of people aged > or = 60 years in Sweden and Thailand. In a randomized sample of 422 people in Sweden and a convenience sample of 200 people in Thailand, the level of resilience was measured by using the Resilience Scale. A chi(2)-analysis was used for the differences between proportions. The relationships between the background variables and the resilience scores were analyzed by using stepwise multiple linear regression. The mean scores of resilience were 144 for the Swedish participants and 146 for the Thai participants. The two samples differed in their background characteristics. The Thai participants were more likely to be women, to be widowed, and to have more children, while among the Swedish participants, more women were married and more participants were aged > or = 80 years. Despite different background characteristics, the Swedish and the Thai participants' scores were almost the same on the Resilience Scale. More studies are necessary to address aspects of gender and ethnicity in relation to resilience.
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Psychological , Psychometrics , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Chi-Square Distribution , Cultural Characteristics , Female , Humans , Linear Models , Male , Middle Aged , Sex Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires , Sweden , ThailandABSTRACT
Qualitative research, informed by grounded theory, was used to investigate gerontic nursing practices in Bangkok, Thailand. In-depth interviews with older persons, their families, and nurses were conducted and the data were analyzed using constant comparison. Five inter-related major themes in gerontic nursing practice were revealed: the reality of nursing practice, family caregiving, views of gerontic nursing, tension, and communication. It was concluded that, though nursing rhetoric supported holistic care, the reality of everyday practice is still biomedical in focus.
