Promoting Active Aging in rural Settings: an Intervention Program Implemented in Orense, Spain

Abstract

Promoviendo el envejecimiento activo en entornos rurales: un programa de intervención implementado en Orense, EspañaReceived: 10 November 2014 | Accepted: 27 January 2017Cristina G. DumitracheUniversidad de Granada, España ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8340-6476 Laura RubioUniversidad de Jaén, España Ignacio BedoyaAsociación Cuarto Sector Desarrollo Social, España Ramona Rubio-Herrera ABSTRACT Promoting health and quality of life among rural older people has received little attention, especially in Spain where the numb er of interventions designed specifically for the rural elderly is sparse. The aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of an intervention program aiming at improving quality of life in a group of community-dwelling older adults living in a depopulated rural area in Orense, Galicia, Spain. The sample of this study comprised 86 people (78 people in the intervention group and 8 people in the control group) aged 65 and older (M=70.82; SD=6.35). The evaluation included the MEC, the CDT, and the WHOQOL-Bref questionnaire. The intervention was applied for a period of nine months and consisted of three weekly workshops with a mean duration of four hours that included cognitive stimulation, crafts, and physical activity. The results of the ANCOVA revealed that independently of the age, educational level, gender, and pretest scores, the participants of the intervention group had a lower risk of cognitive impairment. Also they maintained their score on the Psychological health dimension of the WHOQOL-Bref questionnaire while the participants in the control group slightly decreased their score. The intervention program had a positive effect on the participants' perception with regards to their opportunities to participate in leisure activities and improved their cognitive functioning, which in turn contrib uted to their more positive perception of their psychological health. KeywordsActive aging; quality of life; intervention; rural aging RESUMEN La promoción de la salud y la calidad de vida entre las personas mayores del medio rural ha recib ido poca atención, especialmente en España donde el número de intervenciones designadas específicamente para la población mayor rural es escasa. El objetivo de este estudio fue explorar la efectividad de un programa de intervención para incrementar la calidad de vida en un grupo de personas mayores que vivían en la comunidad en un área rural despoblada en Orense, Galicia, España. La muestra de este estudio estuvo compuesta por 86 personas (78 en el grupo de intervención y 8 en el grupo control) de 65 o más años (M=70.82; DT=6.35). La evaluación incluyó los cuestionarios MEC, CDT y WHOQOL-Bref. La intervención fue aplicada durante un periodo de nueve meses y consistió en tres sesiones semanales con una duración media de cuatro horas que incluían estimulación cognitiva, actividades físicas y creativas. Los resultados del ANCOVA revelan que independientemente de la edad, nivel educativo, género y puntuaciones pretest, los participantes del grupo de intervenci...

Quality of life and related factors among older people living in rural areas in south-eastern Poland

“…They also maintained these results in the psychological domain of the WHOQOL-Bref, while the clinical controls had slightly decreased results. The intervention programme had a positive impact on the perception of its participants in relation to their abilities to participate in recreation activities, and improvement of their cognitive functioning which, in turn, contributed to their more positive perception of their own mental health [36].…”

The Application of Salutogenesis for Social Support and Participation: Toward Fostering Active and Engaged Aging at Home

“…Compared to a control group that did not receive an intervention, the participants improved their overall SOC, specifically in the comprehensibility and manageability domains, but did not differ in loneliness (Tan, 2015). In a sparse rural area in Galicia, Spain, older adults were recruited for 9 months to participate in three weekly mobility workshops: cognitive stimulation, craft with others, and exercise (Dumitrache et al, 2017). After the intervention, the participants considered they had more opportunities for leisure activities than before.…”

“…After the intervention, the participants considered they had more opportunities for leisure activities than before. Additionally, older participants showed lower risks of cognitive impairment, which contributed to a more positive perception of their quality of life and mental health (Dumitrache et al, 2017). The University of Queensland Driver Retirement Initiative, in Australia, held weekly meetings for 6 weeks with urban older adults that stopped driving (Liddle et al, 2014).…”

Older, How? The Importance of Practising Educative and Healthy Activities

“…Currently, there is interest in the concept of active ageing, which is accepted as an adaptation process through which optimal physical, psychological and social development is achieved [4]. Although some authors argue that there is no specific definition for active ageing [5], many agree that it is a multidimensional concept, which involves physical and cognitive fitness, social participation, health, affection and positive control [5,6].…”

“…Active ageing requires the progress of society in political, social and cultural aspects; greater investment in social security, pensions and health systems; and a greater number of activities that promote a better quality of life, autonomy and health in older adults [6]. In Latin America and the Caribbean, countries such as Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica and Uruguay have begun to evaluate the implementation of agreements in the areas of health, legislation, labour and social security, focusing on the elderly.…”