2017 Volume 16 Issue 1 Pages 2-16
Objective: In the midst of population aging, Japan has been aiming to create a society in which the elderly can be active and healthy. Measures are promoted under the slogan that reads “the realization of a society where the elderly people can have Ikigai, or meaning of life.” Here, the key themes are what past health policies have not dealt with, such as autonomy and active involvement of older people. Based on this social background, we conducted “Care Will” research since 2011. Our research focus has been on the creation of meaning of life, health issues, and developmental tasks in old age. We carried out a support program with interest in preretirement, which is a significant period of transition from work to retirement. Method: The purpose of this research was to set up a support program for those who were approaching retirement age. This action research was conducted in the following sequence: development and practice, collective feedback of problems, and evaluation of the program. Results: The “Care Will” course was developed as a part of the preretirement support program. Following the process of knowledge creation, we helped the participants to first make their subconscious minds and values into explicit knowledge, then make plans for resetting goals, and finally share the plans with each other. Since we held and reviewed the course for three consecutive years, we found that retirement would change their experiences of places and relationships, so we made it a central issue of the course. Moreover, running the course and having feedback allowed us to realize the importance of giving support to people with existential health. Accordingly, we organized a curriculum that reflected our findings. The evaluation of the program showed that there were improvements in the sense of general self-efficacy and the sense of meaning of life, and a significant rise in the scores of existential value. In addition, interest in retirement increased after course attendance. Conclusions: Having conducted action research into preretirement support for three years, we confirmed the validity of the Care Will program designed to support the will to live a fulfilling life in old age. Above all, the program was adequately proved suitable for the treatment of existential anxiety, which was one of major health issues reported by participants. The research process confirmed the importance of support for a more satisfying life after retirement, as preretirement is marked by a significant shift in places and roles. The effectiveness of our approach was also verified.
