Community Profile and Community Potential for Elderly Care in a Sub-district in the North Region of Thailand

Abstract

This article is a part of study : community-based health services for elderly care. The objective of this study was to study the health services within the social, economic, environmental, and cultural con­texts in a community. It was an assessment of community profile and the potential for elderly care using Rapid Ethnographic Community Assessment Process – RECAP. The samples were village volunteers, community leaders, and key informants who lived in 10 villages, and personnel of community health services and local government organization. Data were collected by observations, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and literature review during December 2017 - February 2018. Afterward, con­tent analysis, typological analysis and time line analysis were performed and expressed in matrix tables. The study results revealed that community potential and management directly and indirectly for elderly care were affected by the community structure of physicals socities, economies, environment, health, and polictical patterns. The service characteristics affecting the lifestyle of the elderly covered all health con­ditions; and were described by 3 importance issues: (1) the development pathway to improve community health care, (2) the healthy community profile, and (3) the community potential of elderly care. The study represented an analysis of the situation of elderly care, social capital status and community potential related to problem and needs, and the systems management positively impacting the elderly health. Such findings could be used as a community learning tool for the leaders, and a guideline for developing their work. It could also be utilized as a model development curriculum, an approach for proposal development and a process to create innovations for the care of the elderly.