Problems, Needs and Quality of Life among Elderly during New Normal in Ratchaburi Province

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the problems, needs, and quality of life of the elderly in Ratchaburi Province during the New Normal lifestyle. The sample group consisted of 345 elderly people in Ratchaburi Province, sampling by Stratified random sampling and Quota sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire,”problems, needs, and quality of life of elderly ”. The reliability of the questionnaire was analyzed using Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, which was $0.83$. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency distribution, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and the relationship between quality of life, problems, and needs was determined using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient. The results revealed that:

The majority of the elderly were female (60.9%) and aged 60-69 years (58.3%). The top three problems encountered during the New Normal lifestyle were sufficiency of income (8.1%), physical condition being an obstacle to work (7.5%), and regular exercise (6.4%). The top three needs were medical treatment from the government sector (69.0%), elderly welfare allowance (44.9%), and access to information regarding medical treatment, care, and physical rehabilitation (44.6%). Overall and domain-specific quality of life was at a high level. The top three aspects of satisfaction were: satisfaction with their current residence (M=4.38, SD=0.63$), satisfaction with the amenities within the residence for an appropriate living (M=4.37, SD=0.54$), and satisfaction with their current living (M=4.34, SD=0.53$). Furthermore, the quality of life of the elderly was found to be statistically significantly correlated with their problems and needs (p< 0.01).