The Preparation and Seif-Evaluations of Elderly Individuals Requiring Assistance or Care who Moved in order to be with or Closer to Their Children

Abstract

The present study was conducted in order to clarify the relationship between self-evaluations of elderly individuals requiring assistance or care who moved in order to be with or closer to their children and their pre-move preparation. Interviews were conducted on 81 elderly individuals, and the following results were obtained: ①Self-evaluations of the move were favorable for 47 individuals (58.1%) and poor for 34 individuals (41.9%). ②The following factors positively affected self-evaluations of the move: gender (female), family structure (single or married), and type of residence (except apartments). ③Self-evaluations of the move were favorable for individuals who prepared to move as follows: prepared for more than one month, decided to move on their own or by consulting with family members, contacted friends and neighbors before moving, gathered information about hospitals and nursing-care insurance services, had ideas about how and where to spend time, and communicated with children before moving. ④Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the following individuals had poor self-evaluations of the move: men, individuals living in apartments, and individuals who infrequently communicated with their children. These findings suggest that elderly individuals requiring assistance or care may be able to positively accept a move if they, their families, and healthcare professionals communicate while valuing the elderly individual's opinions and if elderly individuals have concrete ideas about their lifestyle and available services before moving.