Community Leader Competence Model to Promote Quality of Life for Muslim Elderly

Abstract

This participatory action research aimed to develop and evaluate a competency model for community leaders in promoting the quality of life of older adults. The study sample consisted of 30 community leaders and 106 older adults. The competency model was developed and implemented over a three-month period. The research instruments were comprised of four parts: (1) a personal information record; (2) the Community Leader Competency Scale (reliability =.90); (3) the Quality-of-Life Questionnaire for Older Adults (WHOQOL-BREF-THAI) (reliability = .84); and (4) the project evaluation form. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and paired t-tests, while the qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The results showed that the developed competency model, referred to as the NAMBOO Model, consisted of six components: Norm, Activity, Model, Best Muslim, Offer, and Opportunity. After implementation, the mean scores of the community leaders’ competencies significantly increased at the 0.001 level in several areas, including knowledge, self-development, elderly care for individuals with health problems, coordination with community stakeholders, empowerment, teaching and mentoring stakeholders, providing health consultations to communities and older adults, and leadership for change. Furthermore, the quality of life of older adults in the psychological domain and overall quality of life improved significantly at the 0.01 level. However, there were no significant differences in the physical health, social relationships, and environmental domains before and after applying the model. Key success factors included the strong commitment and proactive engagement of community leaders, which led to the establishment of an effective and sustainable system for enhancing the quality of life of older adults.