成功老化研習對銀髮族健康效益影響之研究

Abstract

臺灣已是高齡社會，且正快速邁向超高齡社會。國人雖然平均壽命高於世界水準，但終老前長照臥病超過7年，且根據健保署統計資料，高齡者的醫療費用占全國健保醫療費用將近4成，顯示國人銀髮族的老年歲月健康不足，因此對改進老年健康狀態普遍都有期待。如果藉由成功老化的課程，確認對銀髮族的心理、社交、生理體能都有健康效益的影響，就可以幫助銀髮族建立起健康老化生活的重點模式，這是本研究的背景動機以及研究的目的。本研究招募39名參與者，藉著10週準實驗性質的研習課程及前後測的數據，得到合格研究參與者30名樣本，採用描述性統計以及成對樣本t檢定的統計分析，以研究的數據結果來確認成功老化研習課程對銀髮族健康效益的影響。 研究的結果與結論敘述如下。參與成功老化研習課程，對促進心理健康有正面效益，兩份心理量表的總分皆進步、比率分別是4.2%及3.8%，31項有10項顯著進步，而且女性的效益高於男性；對促進社交活動有正面的效益，34個項目有12項是顯著進步。參與規律運動操練對促進生理體能的正面效益顯著，15項成對樣本有7項顯著進步。研習課程後參與者的運動習慣有明顯的行為改變，每週運動的次數及強度都明顯增加。因此成功老化研習課程是值得在社區、教會、團體單位、銀髮族群集的場合推動實行，包含健康新知、社交活動、快樂心理及幸福講座，加上規律運動的操練，包含心肺適能、肌肉適能及柔軟伸展操練；如此在心理、社交及生理體能三方面，都能幫助銀髮族展開健康老化的生活，課程持續的時間越長越有效益，幫助銀髮族建立成功老化的生活模式，度過健康的銀髮歲月。Taiwan is an aging society and going to be a super-aged society. In Taiwan, though the average lifespan is longer than the world average, the life quality during aging is not good. The period of long-term care or bed-ridden before seniors passing away is more than 7 years. Moreover, according to National Health Insurance Administration, the medical expenses of seniors shares around 40% of national medical expenses. Apparently, the seniors are unhealthy during aging, and they may expect to promote their health. We supposed that a learning program of successful aging for seniors could promote physical, mental, and social health for them. Therefore, we designed a learning program of successful aging for seniors. The learning program took ten weeks. Thirty-nine seniors attended the learning program and completed it. But only thirty attendees who received both evaluation of pre- and post- learning program were qualified to be enrolled in our study. We used the method of descriptive statistics analysis and paired-sample t-test to compare the data obtained before and after the learning program. Statistical analysis showed the following results. Through the learning program of successful aging, positive effect was found in mental health, social activity, and physical fitness. The participants increased the frequency and intensity of exercise after the learning program. In conclusion, the learning program of successful aging promotes the health of seniors in psychology, sociality, and physical fitness. It is worthy to popularize the learning program of successful aging to communities, entities, churches, and cluster occasions of seniors to promote their health in the aspects of psychology, sociality, and physical fitness. Therefore, they can live with the lifestyle of successful aging.