| Summary: | 碩士 === 南華大學 === 生死學研究所 === 92 === This study, based on qualitative research, has adopted fieldwork by interviewing single-dwellers in person to explore single-dwelling elders’ social support and life adjustment. The field settings include 5 areas (Nanzih, Gushan,Yancheng, Zuoying and Lingya) of Kaohsiung City and 3 areas(Fengshan, Niaosong and Renwu) of Kaohsiung County where 22 single-dwelling elders aged from 65 to 89 were sampled through purposive sampling.
There are five chapters including twenty-five sections in this thesis: Introduction, Literature Discussion, Research Method, Results and Discussion, and Conclusions and Suggestions. Conscious of the probability of single-dwelling for herself in the future, the researcher has developed interest in studying single-dwelling elders, and hopes that this study will benefit them at the moment and in the future.
The results of the study are: “formal social support” comes from governmental welfare, such as emergency aid system, financial aid for elders, allowance for elders and Medicare; “informal social support” comes from relatives, neighbors, friends, religious fellows and charity volunteers, etc. These supports offer elders aids in their material life, information of life, and affective support to ensure that the elders’ daily needs are properly met, and that they are being loved, respected and cared. Such supports will help elders to cope with pressure, maintain a healthy life, and improve their living quality and living satisfaction.
There are three dimensions for single-dwelling elders’ life adjustment:
1. For physical adjustment, the elders had better maintain their health and let everything go in due course.
2. For mental adjustment, the elders had better walk out of loss, keep a positive recognition, and face death frankly.
3. For social adjustment, the elders had better live with regularity, independence, social participation, and settled mind.
The study also shows that the single-dwelling elders do not live in poverty, sickness, carelessness, weirdness, isolation, untidiness, and dirtiness.
Even with a different density, they have their own social network to support them so as not to be alone and helpless. Most of them ignore the hardship and the problems of life. Moreover, they are released from the traditional extended family, and live with a positive and grateful attitude and keep away from the image of stereotype.
Finally, this study offers several suggestions to the government, single-dwelling elders, and future single-dwelling elders, hoping that they will help to create a brighter future for our society.
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