A Case Study about Religious Beliefs and Mental Health of Elderly within a Buddhist Nursing Institution

• Main Authors: Jung-liang Weng, 翁榮良
• Other Authors: Huei-Chu Cheng
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/7jdc29

碩士 === 義守大學 === 醫務管理學系 === 103 === Since Taiwan stepped into the early stage of the aged society in 1993, the speed of population aging has been much faster than expectation. The Council for Economic Planning and Development forecasts that Taiwan will reach the so-called ''Aged Society'' according to the definition of the international conventions and international institutes such as the United Nations. The importance and demands of nursing institutions will increase relatively. Because it is usually the last choice to live in the nursing institutes and the owners and employees in the nursing institutions are not their relatives of the ones who lives within, the support for their religious beliefs in the nursing institutions will play an important role in the mental health of the elderly that lives there. A qualitative exploratory method was used in this study. In the nursing institution, the study carried out in-depth interviews with 13 elders according to the convenient sampling method to interview anyone who was willing to talk with the interviewer on the spot from March to April in 2015. The interviews with elders in the nursing institution were to explore whether the Buddhist nursing institution can give more comfort to the elderly to satisfy their demand in mental and religious aspects. In addition, two interviews with the CEO and one professional in social work were implemented to understand how the nursing establishes religious environment and practices in religious activities. The framework of this study includes two primary dimensions. The first dimension is about religious beliefs and mental health of the elderly in the nursing institution that is composed of the feelings of waking up in the morning, physical and healthy condition, comfortable life in the nursing institution, help from religious beliefs to their lives, and the mental reactions of religious activities. The other dimension is about how the nursing establishes religious environment and practices in religious activities that contains the basic data of those who were interviewed, the ways the employees take care of and concern themselves with the elderly in the nursing institution, the space for religious activities, the planning of the place, the design and implementation of activities, the insistence of the nursing institution on giving impetus to religious activities, and the benefits of religious activities. The results of this study are as follows: 1. Most of the elderly who have religious beliefs tend to choose the nursing institution established by religious group. 2. The elderly with different religious beliefs can be in harmony with the environment of Buddhism. 3. The group activities can let the elderly be active in physical and mental aspects and bring interactions and stimuli in the foresaid aspects. 4. The non-religious group activities can eliminates the lethargies and boredom without self-awareness of the elderly. The religious group activities can satisfy the mental demand of the elderly. The elderly who are used to the environment of high religious accessibility can mostly have good feelings when waking up in the morning. In the interviews, the finding is noted that the elderly who have religious beliefs and participate in religious activities can take the status quo and enjoy their lives more properly that result in more comfortable lives in the nursing institution. Therefore, religion can provide support to mental health. Though the degree of participation in religious activities varies, some elders without devout religious beliefs and active involvement in the religious activities have promotion in mind, more satisfactions in life and good mental health in the surrounding of religion. The religious beliefs are very important to the running of the nursing institutions. If the institution can support for the religious beliefs and implement religious activities actively, it will be helpful for quality lives, the development in physical and mental aspects of the elderly. Then, taking good care of the elderly till the last moment can be achieved. This is the social responsibility of running the nursing institution, and also their most precious achievements.