Development of Ways to Promote Life Styles Supporting the Psychological Well-being of the Elderly in The Yala City Municipality, Yala Province

Abstract

We conducted a qualitative research study to examine the development of ways to promote life styles to support the psychological well-being of the elderly in the Yala city municipality, Yala province, Thailand. Our study consisted of 3 phases: Phase 1: study lifestyle o promote the psychological well-being of the elderly; Phase 2: develop guidelines for enhancing psychological well-being of the elderly; and Phase 3: investigate the feasibility and suitability of the lifestyle development guidelines. The informants were: 1) 10 elderly people, and 2) 10 public health personnel that were selected by purposive sampling. We collected data through focus groups and analyzed data using content analysis.

The results of the study showed that lifestyle characteristics which enhanced the psychological well-being of the elderly emphasized being proud and feeling positive about their past life. Lifestyle guidelines that promoted the psychological well-being of the elderly included promoting a lifestyle through context-sensitive activities based on good family participation. Promotion of physical health enhanced psychological well-being. Implementation of activities to remember the past was another way to promote self-acceptance. increasing self-acceptance of life was meaningful. The elderly should focus on recreational activities to relieve stress and promote psychological well-being. The information obtained in this study can be useful in the development of psychological well-being for the elderly and can be applied in other organizations or related agencies which serve the elderly.