Developing a Culture-Based Proactive Lifestyle of Senior Citizens - An Examination of Service Content at Senior Welfare Institutions in Taiwan

Abstract

Because of the low birthrate and increasing development of the Medical Biotechnology Industry the aging population is on the increase in Taiwan Senior welfare institutions are the main channel by which to serve senior citizens in Taiwan In recent years service content in senior welfare institutions has gradually combined leisure and cultural activities They tend to put forth effort toward mental relaxation in addition to physical care Nevertheless recently related research has found that senior citizens rarely bring up their needs and desires for leisure and cultural activities at senior welfare institutions They tend to be a passive audience This research is exploration-oriented qualitative research and intended to develop service guidelines for senior citizens based on cultural activities in order to broaden the diversification of service content at senior welfare institutions understand residents’ interests and opinions regarding their lifestyle and encourage residents to participate in cultural activities actively while residing at senior welfare institutions As the research target two senior welfare institutions which serve senior citizens who are more than 60 years old and have self-cared ability in Taiwan are selected Data is collected mainly through a literature survey semi-structured in-depth interviews and non- participant observations In conclusion this research suggests that interest-oriented activities offered by institutions can create proactive lifestyles of senior citizens What a senior welfare institution can do is to offer an environment that can trigger senior citizens’ interests in which the services related to interests-oriented activities are based on plentiful integrated resources so that there are enough choices available Furthermore it was found that activities with food-related and music-related elements can attract the attention of senior citizens and are good for triggering their interests

Date of Award	2014 Jan 29
Original language	English
Supervisor	Hsiao-Ling Chung (Supervisor)