Exploring psychological well-being and coping strategies among elderly people with life- threatening illnesses : implications on professional educators, caregivers and health services in ageing development

Abstract

Older age traditionally has been viewed as a time of inevitable disease and frailty. The experience of life-threatening illnesses is one of the most difficult situations that individuals and their families ever have to face. There is a negative stereotype of elderly patients who should accept their conditions due to their frail and poor health. Therefore, psychological health indicators are important for monitoring and evaluating the health status of elderly patients. Thus, the main purpose of this study is to explore the psychological well-being and coping strategies that people typically experience as they enter and move through the period of older adulthood with their conditions of illness. Optimistically, the study is expected to give ideas for supporting and caring more for the elderly patients especially with life-threatening illness to the caregivers and other professional educators. The present study used a qualitative method. To obtain the data the researcher selected three elderly patients, three caregivers and one medical doctor as participants or informants, and the subjects were selected by purposive selection. The major themes related to the first research question describe psychological well-being of the elderly patients. The six major themes are: psychosocial influences on health, independent income and health, health-impairing behaviour, positive social network, marital satisfaction, mortality and psycho-social development. Meanwhile, the major themes linked to the second research question refer to the coping strategies of elderly patients. From the coping strategies of the elderly patients with a life-threatening illness emerged four major themes which are patient physical coping strategies, problem-oriented strategies, religious coping and drawing on social support. Finally, for research question three, the challenge faced by the elderly patients is physical changes. To conclude, this study is expected to give ideas for professional education improvement especially personality development. The result of the study may help the doctors and caregivers to understand the challenges faced by elderly patients. Last but not least, this study should be relevant not just to psychologists or counsellors but also to others in field works in which this information is needed, including nursing, medicine, social work and education.