The Quality Life of the elderly in Thonburi District

Abstract

This research aims to study the demographic factors and the quality of life factors, such as living, physical, emotional, social factor, and ability to make decision to purchase
their asset in Thonburi Area and aimed to compare the quality of life of among the elderly people in those area. The sample group was 400 elderly people in Thonburi area, aged 60 years and over. The proportional stratified random sampling method was used and analyzed the data from the quality of life of the elderly in 5 aspects. The research
instruments were interviewed. For data analysis, it employed mean, percentage,
standard deviation, two sets of population mean tests, and one-way analysis of variance. The research results from the questionnaire found that the most of the respondents were female, 72%. The age between 60 and 65 year was 34.50%. The marital status was 68.25%, 90.75% had education level below bachelor’s degree. 39.50% of their income came from personal business/merchandising and the monthly income between 5,001 and 10,000 baht was 34%. The overall quality of Life of the elderly in the Thonburi area was found to be at a moderate level (µ = 3.176). In the interviews part 10 elder people, the research was processed by dividing ten interviewees into three groups. The first group composed of two wealthy elderly people. The second group composed of 6 middle class people and, the third group composed of 2 people, which have government welfare. From the interviews in physical, social and environmental, emotional, and the ability to make decisions to purchase their assets alone, it found that. The respondents aged 60 - 70 years, wealthy, often had physical problems but her family tacked care of good mood can purchase asset at ease. For middle class people, they seldom had congenital
diseases. They were moderate sensitive to social and environmental condition, and could purchase some assets by themselves. For the last group, which have government welfare, had quite good physical, good mood but there are few to make decisions to purchase their assets alone. They had to wake up early to earn money and were lack of social and environmental factor.