A Study on the Situation, Status, Knowledge, and Wisdom of the Elderly

Abstract

This study aimed to 1) examine the situation, status, and potential of older adults in terms of health, psychological well-being, social participation, economic conditions, and local wisdom, and 2) investigate the types, mechanisms, and problems associated with the transmission of older adults’ local wisdom in San Pa Tong District, Chiang Mai Province. A mixed-methods research design was employed. The population consisted of 12,311 older adults. The quantitative sample included 385 participants, with the sample size determined using the Krejcie and Morgan table and selected by simple random sampling in proportion to the older population across 11 subdistricts. The qualitative informants comprised 24 participants selected through purposive sampling. The research instruments included a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview form, and focus group discussion guidelines. The questionnaire had an index of item-objective congruence of .89 and an overall reliability coefficient of .88. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis.
The findings revealed that:
1. The overall potential of older adults was at a high level (x̄ = 3.58, S.D. = 0.44). Psychological and social potential had the highest equal mean scores (x̄ = 3.82), followed by local wisdom (x̄ = 3.48), health (x̄ = 3.36), and economic potential (x̄ = 3.04).
2. The local wisdom of older adults included handicrafts, basketry, wood carving, knife making, ceremonial objects and Yi Peng lanterns, food and agriculture, herbs, and traditional health care. Knowledge was transmitted through families, schools, schools for older adults, temples, and community activities. The main problems were a lack of successors, discontinuous group activities, changes in ways of life, and insufficient channels for product development and marketing.