Active Aging In Long-Term Care Facilities In Korea : Beyond The Lexical Meaning.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes active aging to optimize health, participation, and security in older adults.
• Active aging aims to enhance social integration and quality of life for the elderly.
• Even individuals with frailty can pursue active aging within their circumstances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the meaning of active aging within long-term care facilities (LTCFs).
• To identify care strategies that promote active aging based on the WHO framework.
• To understand how the components of active aging are implemented in LTCFs.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving interviews with 35 participants.
• Interpretative analysis of interview data.
• Focus on understanding the lived experiences of older adults in long-term care.

Main Results:

• Activities in LTCFs vary in scope based on residents' physical and cognitive functional abilities.
• The concept of being "active" in LTCFs extends beyond its literal definition.
• Findings highlight diverse forms of participation and engagement among residents.

Conclusions:

• Redefining "active" is crucial for understanding and promoting active aging in long-term care settings.
• Care strategies should be tailored to individual functional abilities to foster participation.
• This research contributes to optimizing health, participation, and security for older adults in LTCFs.