{"title":"Developing and Evaluating a Program to Support Preparation for Aging: A Case Study from Phuket Province, Thailand.","authors":"Chayanit Luevanich, Ros Kane, Aimorn Naklong, Prapaipim Surachetkosom","doi":"10.1177/23337214241280422","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Introduction:</b> Thailand's aging population is increasing. While the societal impact of aging is recognized, formal programs to support pre-retirement planning are currently lacking. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a program specifically designed to address this gap and support individuals to prepare for a healthy and fulfilling later life. <b>Methods:</b> We employed a quasi-experimental, one-group pre-test/post-test design to evaluate a newly developed program focused on pre-retirement preparation. The program consisted of four, 3-hr modules delivered weekly. Voluntary participants (<i>N</i> = 25) were aged 50 to 59 years, physically active, and committed to attending all modules. Participants' knowledge and self-reported preparedness for aging were assessed before and after program completion. <b>Results:</b> The program led to a statistically significant increase in participants' overall knowledge of aging (<i>z</i> = -2.010, <i>p</i> < .05). While specific areas of preparation did not show statistically significant individual differences, mean scores improved across all aspects of preparation. This may reflect the existing health knowledge of some participants and their proactive approach to aging preparation (80% reported some prior preparation). <b>Conclusion:</b> This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a pre-retirement preparation program in enhancing knowledge and self-reported preparedness for aging. Findings suggest that such programs can stimulate middle-aged adults to plan for their future well-being. This study underscores the need for a more holistic approach to pre-retirement preparation. Future programs should consider incorporating content beyond health and finances, potentially including social life planning as identified in this research. Future research could explore program modifications, such as extended formats and content tailored to specific needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":52146,"journal":{"name":"Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11526199/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23337214241280422","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Thailand's aging population is increasing. While the societal impact of aging is recognized, formal programs to support pre-retirement planning are currently lacking. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a program specifically designed to address this gap and support individuals to prepare for a healthy and fulfilling later life. Methods: We employed a quasi-experimental, one-group pre-test/post-test design to evaluate a newly developed program focused on pre-retirement preparation. The program consisted of four, 3-hr modules delivered weekly. Voluntary participants (N = 25) were aged 50 to 59 years, physically active, and committed to attending all modules. Participants' knowledge and self-reported preparedness for aging were assessed before and after program completion. Results: The program led to a statistically significant increase in participants' overall knowledge of aging (z = -2.010, p < .05). While specific areas of preparation did not show statistically significant individual differences, mean scores improved across all aspects of preparation. This may reflect the existing health knowledge of some participants and their proactive approach to aging preparation (80% reported some prior preparation). Conclusion: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a pre-retirement preparation program in enhancing knowledge and self-reported preparedness for aging. Findings suggest that such programs can stimulate middle-aged adults to plan for their future well-being. This study underscores the need for a more holistic approach to pre-retirement preparation. Future programs should consider incorporating content beyond health and finances, potentially including social life planning as identified in this research. Future research could explore program modifications, such as extended formats and content tailored to specific needs.
期刊介绍:
Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine (GGM) is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed open access journal where scholars from a variety of disciplines present their work focusing on the psychological, behavioral, social, and biological aspects of aging, and public health services and research related to aging. The journal addresses a wide variety of topics related to health services research in gerontology and geriatrics. GGM seeks to be one of the world’s premier Open Access outlets for gerontological academic research. As such, GGM does not limit content due to page budgets or thematic significance. Papers will be subjected to rigorous peer review but will be selected solely on the basis of whether the research is sound and deserves publication. By virtue of not restricting papers to a narrow discipline, GGM facilitates the discovery of the connections between papers.