Perception of elderly persons on health and its role in aging successfully

Introduction

In the past few decades, there has been increased interest in the health of elderly adults and their role during the aging period, especially for those aged 65 years and above (Shiraz, Hildon & Vrijhoef, 2020; Tkatch et al., 2017). Old age is commonly associated with several health conditions and chronic diseases that affect an older adult's wellbeing and require diversion of resources that could have been otherwise used in the ailing older adult. In the effort to combat elderly ill-health and the common health conditions related to old-age, e.g., dementia, there has been increased intervention and programs designed to prevent or mitigate the advanced effects of these conditions. Despite this effort, they are all bound to futility if the older adults do not consider health as a major issue towards successful aging.

Statement of the problem

Health is a crucial issue for humans, and it becomes even more critical at old age, as there are numerous health conditions that face the elderly by being old. Most of these health conditions, e.g., dementia, depression, diabetes, back and neck pain, and osteoarthritis, are related mainly to the lifestyle an elderly person is leading, with the main concerns being inactivity and poor nutrition (Rudnicka et al., 2020). Consequently, several initiatives have been developed, some based on evidence-based practices and thus deliver effective results. However, despite how effective these interventions are, they will remain irrelevant as long as the elderly do not consider health a major issue for their successful aging (Tkatch et al., 2017). There is limited research on the perceptions of the elderly on the importance and role of health in ensuring they have a successful old-age.

Purpose statement

Therefore, the purpose of this research is to determine the perception of the elderly in the importance of health in ensuring they enjoy their old age. Numerous initiatives have been developed to mitigate health conditions related to old age, but numerous persons are still struggling with the same conditions (Shrestha et al., 2020; Zhong, Lin & Yang, 2020). This can only mean that they do not regard health as critical for successful aging or there are challenges or/and hindrances to their participation in health promotion practices. Therefore, this qualitative research study seeks to establish how the elderly think about health and any challenges towards undertaking in or/and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Significance of the research

The descriptions of older adults' perceptions across a spectrum of health will be established through the findings of the current research. These perceptions will be useful in influencing programs to support health promotion and maintenance. This approach is essential as it moves beyond the clinical...

This qualitative viewpoint will provide invaluable perspectives on what the elderly might need from health care providers, healthcare professionals, their resources, families, and the community to consider themselves as aging successfully.

Research questions

In the effort to complete this research, two research questions will be considered;

i. What are the perceptions of the elderly on the importance of good health as a key factor for successful aging?

ii. What challenges prevent or affect effective participation in common health-promotion practices, e.g., walking, meeting peers, and healthy eating?

Review of "A qualitative study to examine older adults' perceptions of health: Keys...

…The research team consisted of one gerontology-trained research assistant, two senior postgraduate research fellows, and one senior assistant professor. Each interview lasted one and half hours. The National University approved the method of the Singapore Institute review board. The collected data was coded then analyzed through thematic analysis. This methodology is similar to the data collection method of the proposed research.

Trustworthiness in qualitative research

Various methods are used to establish trustworthiness in qualitative research and some are evident in the reviewed articles above. The first is credibility. Credibility in the reviewed article was achieved through persistent interactions with the research subjects. Both interviews were multi-phase, which means, and several participants were used. The second is transferability. In these researches, transferability was achieved through purposive sampling. Although it is a nonprobability sampling method, it ensured that the sample maximized specific data relative to the target population, and both types of research maximized diversity. The third is dependability. In these researches, dependability has been realized through having a data set that is thick and rich contains sufficient details and contextual information. The last is confirmability. Both of the reviewed researches can be replicated.

Inherent strengths and challenges of the proposed study

A strength of the proposed study will be the targeting of a neighborhood for study participants. This will allow for a rich sample size that is diverse ethnically, social status, and lifestyle. Another strength is the use of the PR interview method, as this will allow for follow-up questions on any issue that are not clear, and visiting the interviewees' home will allow for observations. Alternatively, this research has been limited in that it will only cover at the largest, a single city, and not all…