Working on Social Interaction and Wellbeing of Elderly - Experiences of a Community Based Project

Volume 8 Issue 2 May - July 2018

Research Paper

Working on Social Interaction and Wellbeing of Elderly - Experiences of a Community Based Project

Sarmad Muhammad Soomar*, Salman Muhammad Soomar**, Mashal Feroz Hirani***, Sara Zafarullah Sheikh****

* Chapter Officer, Rho Delta Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International – Honor Society of Nursing, Pakistan.

** Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.

*** Service Line Cancer Care, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.

**** Service Line Emergency Care, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.

Soomar,S.M., Soomar,S.M., Hirani,M.F., and Sheikh,S.Z.(2018). Working on Social Interaction and Wellbeing of Elderly - Experiences of a Community Based Project. i-manager’s Journal on Nursing, 8(2), 23-27. https://doi.org/10.26634/jnur.8.2.14318

Abstract

The life expectancy is growing around the globe and it is seen that elderly require care in all kinds of setup they are residing in. Considering this it is necessary that strategies should be taken into consideration to work with the elderly and helping them out to live a healthy life. Elderly residing in communities should be encouraged for social interaction and practicing of activities that enhance their overall wellbeing. During the elective course of care of elderly, a community based project in a local nearby community was conducted. The selected vicinity had enough number of elderly people and a place of elderly interaction was also available there. The whole process from assessment, developing plan, and implementing activities was done under faculty supervision and after discussion with stakeholders. Strategies that were planned and implemented were divided into overall health domains including physical (health and body), social (role relationships), psychological (stress and coping), spiritual (enhancing spirituality and preventing distress) and sexual (sensitive issue). Elderly require basic care and assistance at community setup. These activities enhance their social interaction and affect their health in all domains. Continuous practice of these activities and monitoring helps the sustainability of this work.