Perceptions and satisfactions regarding to the national policy implementation for the elderly : case study in Phrasamutchedi district, Samutprakan province, Thailand

Abstract

This research aims to study the perception and satisfaction of the elderly towards the implementation of the national elderly welfare policy at the Phra Samut Chedi District Samutprakan Province and investigate the relationship between perception and satisfaction of the elderly in social welfare services, available in the community in order to reverse a knowledge to be used as guidelines of the elderly social welfare in the district. The research had been done on 423 populations, 60 and more than 60 years old, living in the area study, cover 8 sub-districts, collect data by interview questionnaire to receive a personal information and evaluate the perception and satisfaction with the elderly social welfare and assessment of competence in everyday life and depression scale of the elderly. The results, the general information of the sample, the elderly women is more than the elderly men around 58.39 percent and most of the elderly living with spouses, represent 46.09 percent of the elderly and most of those do not work around 45.39 percent, similar to the other survey of the elderly population in the academic research institutions. The analysis about factors influence to the perception of the elderly towards the implementation of the national elderly welfare policy by using Chi Square Test, the 95 percent of confident level, found that the elderly marital status, type of elderly work, source of elderly revenue and economic status have associate with the perception of the elderly and the elderly work, marital status and education level have associate with the satisfaction of the elderly. The analysis in relationship between perception and satisfaction of the elderly about social welfare services for the elderly in the community by using the Spearman rank correlation, the 95 percent of confidence level, found that perception and satisfaction of the elderly towards social welfare services for the elderly in the allowance payment, annual health check up, religious services, providing recreational activities on special day have statistical significance. It also found that the number of social welfare services to the elderly in the community, the elderly do not know, or maybe lack of awareness. The social welfare services to the community that hopes to be taken care of the elderly for the quality of life and better living, a local agencies should try to develop activities of the elderly social welfare services in all aspects of educational services, health and medical services, housing and accommodation services, revenue services, social security, family care and protection services and recreational services. The best way is if the activities of social welfare services of the elderly in the community, joined with the elderly, share their ideas and find out a good practice to meet the elderly needs of the community. This is to prepare social welfare services for the elderly in the future to support the elderly trend will have long life and increasing.