Study On The Relationship Between Social Support,loneliness And Health Of Chinese Older Adults Under Different Aged Care Models

Objectives:In order to analyze the severe situation of population aging and the backwardness of aged care services in China,social support,loneliness and health status of the older adults under different aged care models were measured by a series of scales.Furthermore,it analyzed the joint mechanism of multiple influencing factors on the health of the older adults,and studied the need of the older adults through in-depth interviews.In addition,it provided the precise loneliness intervention strategies and comprehensive health promotion strategy the older adults,aiming at improving the quality of the aged care services in China.Methods:The "Social Support Evaluation Scale for the Older Adults"and the"Loneliness Evaluation Scale for the Older Adults"were compiled,and 1000 older adults obtained from stratified sampling were effectively investigated using the above two formal scales.At the same time,based on the large sample data,the study used the AMOS path analysis method to verify the research hypothesis("social support-loneliness--health" model for the older adults).Results:(1)Under different aged care models,the older adults have different scores and characteristics in terms of social support,loneliness and overall health.The private institutional care group showed the highest scores of total social support,and the public institutional group showed the lowest scores.The public institutional group showed the strongest loneliness,and the private institutional group showed the weakest loneliness.The community-based home care group showed the highest PCS and MCS,and the public institutional group showed the lowest PCS and MCS.(2)Although loneliness always played a mediating role between social support and health,the coefficients of path impact were quite different under different aged care models.1)Under the institutional aged care model,loneliness acting as a mediator variable was more affected by social support than that in the community-based home care model.2)For the degree of loneliness as a mediator affecting physical health and mental health,strongest in the public institutional group,weakest in the community-based home care group.Conclusions:Older adults in institutional care group had a stronger demand for social support and were more dependent on the social support.Once their social support was reduced,the severity of loneliness in the institutional elderly was higher.As the institutional older adults left the original community to live in the nursing home,the replacement of the place of residence would make the older adults have less resources to resolve loneliness than the elderly in the community,while the older adults of the community-based home care group lived in the original community.The older adults in the community-based home care group could rely on various social network resources accumulated over the years to resolve loneliness in a multi-channel and timely manner.Under the institutional aged care model,older adults in private institutions had more channels and resources than those in public institutions to dispel loneliness,so it was easier for the private institutional elderly to maintain an optimistic and comfortable mood and a healthy lifestyle,which was beneficial to promote physical and mental health.This study separately discussed the comprehensive health promotion strategies for the elderly under different aged care models,and draws the following conclusions:under the public institutional care model,we should change the management mode by taking the needs of the elderly as the service center;under the private institutional care model,the key is to pay attention to the supervision of fees,clauses and spiritual services in private nursing home;under the community-based home care model,we should pay attention to the age-appropriate transformation of the community and upgrade the aged care services.Innovations:(1)The research perspective is unique and comprehensive.On the one hand,the multivariate statistical method is used to conduct empirical research on the relationship paths under different aged care models.On the other hand,the impacts of aged care models,social support,and loneliness on the health of older adults were considered simultaneously.(2)The research content is in-depth and meticulous:through the in-depth interviews,the real situations of the older adults under different aged care models were investigated.Combined with the empirical results of the path analysis model,the service upgrade and optimization suggestions under different aged care models were discussed in depth.