A Study of the Development of a Counseling Tool for Visiting Nurses : Psychological Characteristics of the Elderly

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the psychological characteristics of elderly members of a health insurance society. The data was collected during a home visits. This study is a first step toward development of a counseling tool which is based on an understanding of individual differences in the elderly. The thirty-five-item questionnaire was developed by a focus group and the data of the 557 participants was analyzed by Quantification Theory 3rd Family and Cluster Analysis. Three factors (energy expenditure, self-expression and attitude to time) and five clusters (vigor, introversion, extraversion, harmony and independence) were identified. An understanding of these clusters will enable nurses to improve their counseling skills. Use of this data will provide nurses with increased ability to enable their elderly clients to express their feelings.