State of health and care among the dependentcy elderly in Khok Khinon Sub-district, Chon Buri Province

Abstract

      This research examined the state of health and care among dependent elderly people in Khok Khinon Sub-district, Phan Thong District, Chon Buri Province.  The data were collected by conducting in-depth interviews with 9 dependent elderly persons.  In the event that participants could not answer the questions, their care providers were interviewed instead. The results of the study showed that two interviewees had Alzheimer’s disease, and the interviewees who were not taken care of by family members felt disappointed and emotional. The study found that for their well-being, some elderlies could go out if there was someone to accompany and take care of them. However, there were a few cases of the elderly persons who could not go out at all because they were either bedridden or had Alzheimer’s disease.

       This group required proper nursing care at all times. From the study, we found that family was the major unit in fostering dependent elderlies. The people who fostered the elderly persons were mostly females, e.g. daughters or daughters-in-law. Each elderly person was fostered differently depending on their individual capabilities in conducting daily activities. A dependent elderly person requires support from a designated, full-care provider, whereas elderly people who can conduct some activities by themselves may receive support from a care provider or family members in conducting other activities that they cannot do on their own. Furthermore, the study found that apart from family members, there are several organizations that are willing to foster the elderly, although their contributions are not as large as the contributions by family members.  Exceptions are some organizations run by Christians, which have clear campaigns for fostering the elderly.