Development of Skills and Abilities and Promotion of Employment Opportunities for the Elderly to Enable them to be Meaningfully Self-reliant in the Border Areas of Surin Province DOI:

Abstract

This subject research. The development of skills and promotion of work opportunities for the elderly to be self-reliant and live meaningfully in the border area of Surin Province has the following objectives: 1. To develop the skills and work abilities of the elderly as appropriate. 2. To be a guideline for creating opportunities for self-reliance and live meaningfully. This is a qualitative research with an ethnographic approach and a combination of quantitative research. The data were collected mainly in the border area of Kab Choeng District, along with Buachet District, Phanom Dong Rak District, and Sangkha District. The data were collected through participatory observation, in-depth interviews with specific samples of the elderly, and the mean and standard deviation were calculated. The results were synthesized to find guidelines according to the objectives through group discussions.

         The results found that the elderly were healthy and could do their daily activities. The average value was 4.33 at a high level. They were moderately satisfied with their health, even though they had some chronic diseases, which was not an obstacle to their ability to work. In terms of mind, the average value was between 3.69-4.33 at a high level, meaning that the elderly were happy, peaceful, had good concentration, and were satisfied with themselves. In terms of society and the environment, they were highly satisfied with their lives, with an average value between 3.67-4.43. In terms of economy, they still had a need to develop skills to create a career and create a job that was suitable for them. Although their need for income was at a moderate level, which was just right for their expenses, their savings were low at 2.7, which was lower than the average. This was consistent with the opinions in the group discussions, which found that the elderly were kind-hearted, charitable, went to the temple to listen to the Dhamma, had love and compassion, and wanted to help society. Organizing activities to promote the elderly would give them the opportunity to work and support savings in their later years, which would allow the elderly to live meaningfully. This is a suggestion for future studies. The market for products for the elderly should be promoted, networks should be created, and a meaningful existence in society and the community should be created.