Engaging the Public: Local Strategies for Chinese elders

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Engaging the PublicLocal Strategies for Chinese
elders

• Diana Lee
• Chair Professor of Nursing and Director

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An Outline

• Successful aging the literature
• Successful aging views of Chinese elders
• Implications for local strategies to engage
  Chinese elders

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Successful Aging The Literature

• Factors associated with successful aging
  physical and psycho-social indices
• Successful agers
• - achievement of developmental tasks of later
  life
• - productive
• - functioning physically and psychosocially
  above normal

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Cautionary Questions

• 1. Not adequately grounded in elderly peoples
  actual experiences and views. Some beginning
  work
• ? more emphasis on well-being and social
  functioning than physical and psycho- cognitive
  functioning
• ? the ability to adjust to circumstances
• ? focusing on gains rather than losses

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Cautionary Questions

• Differences between elders and researchers
  perspectives on successful aging
• ? elders views more multi-dimensional, less
  emphasis on functional aspects sense of
  satisfaction and adjustment seen as more
  important
• (Phelan et al 2004)

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Cautionary Questions

• Successful aging as a state of being
• ? measured objectively by clinical standards
• vs
• Successful aging as a continuous adjustment
  process

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Cautionary Questions

• 2. Socio-cultural considerations highly neglected
• ? Existing knowledge on successful aging a
  strong Western bias
• Individual accomplishment
• vs
• Collective orientation

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Cautionary Questions

• Keith et al (1990) explore the aging experience
  of elders of different cultures
• ? Americans self-sufficiency, ability to live
  alone, how they view the world
• ? Chinese families willingness to meet their
  needs, how others view them

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So

• Successful aging is a socially and culturally
  determined construction
• The need to develop understanding of the
  diversity and commonality of the aging experience
  across cultures
• ? engage elders in culturally relevant
  interventions to promote successful aging

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Successful Aging Chinese Elders

• A grounded theory study on community Chinese
  elders in Hong Kong
• Meaning of successful aging
• Being engaged in life
• - a life-course concept
• - active view of aging

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Successful Aging Chinese Elders

• Conditions of successful aging
• Harmonious family relation
• Independence in daily functioning and self-care
  within ones physical ability
• Positive orientation to life in general and old
  age in particular
• Adequate social contact
• Sufficient financial resources

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Successful Aging Chinese Elders

• Strategies to age successfully
• Sustaining harmonious family relationship
• Striving to keep ones physical, psychological
  and social health
• Influences of Chinese cultural beliefs
• Protecting the familys face
• Maintaining harmony
• Being thankful

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Implications

• Go in search of people.
• Begin with what they know.
• Build on what they value.
• Chinese proverb
• Engagement strategies should therefore
• ? Focus on and result from the needs,
  expectations and desires of the Chinese elders

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What to consider before starting the engagement
effort?

• Elders previous life experiences and its impact
  on their engagement
• Life experiences in its totality
• Experiences of earlier life stages shape later
  life experiences

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What is necessary for engagement to occur?

• Fitting into elders biography A life-course
  approach
• Strengths and resources
• Physical, psychosocial and financial

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What to consider for the engagement to be
successful?

• Family-centred approaches/ strategies
• Focus on the family as a unit
• Promoting family responsibility
• Strengthening family action
• Creating a supportive environment for family
  growth and functioning

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Re-orientation Thinking and Practice

• A medical approach to needs assessment

A biographical approach to understanding elders
life experiences ? elders psychosocial,
cognitive and behavioural resources
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Re-orientation Thinking and Practice

• Individual/ personal ability and action

Promoting, maintaining and restoring family
functioning across life cycles
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