Abstract
To clarify the aspects of individual empowerment including cultural aspects of old-old people living in hilly and mountainous areas, we conducted a semi-structured interview on nine elderly persons aged 75 or over and a health nurse in District B, Town A. In this survey, we used ethnography to collect data for analysis.
The old-old people living in the hilly and mountainous area 'recognized their age-related changes and the changes in the community' in their daily life. They found 'ways for coping well with aging', and 'created their own roles in the community'. In other words, they made efforts to "continuously present themselves as members of the community". Aspects of 'What support the aging persons' and the 'effort to coordinate aging self with changing community' interacted with each other and promoted "their effort to continuously present themselves as members of the community". The results of the present survey suggested that nursing professionals play an important role in empowering old-old people and helping them continuously present themselves as indispensable members of the community.
