病弱老人の生きがいに関する研究

A Study on the Life Worth Living of the Sickly, Old People

要旨

　病弱老人の生きる支えになるものを見いだすことを目的に，病弱者を含む在宅老人141名と，老人ホームで生活している病弱な老人30名に，生きがいに関する調査をし検討した。対象者の年齢はいずれも60歳以上であった。

　その結果次の結論を得た。

1．病弱である在宅者および施設入所者は，在宅の健康な者よりむしろ，生きがいがあると答えた者が多くみられた。

2．今回対象とした老人の多くは，生きがいの対象として趣味をあげており，病弱者も同様の傾向を示していた。

3．生きがいがあると答えた者には，孤独感を抱いていない者が多いことが，統計的に有意であることが確認された。

4．在宅の病弱者に孤独感があると答えた者が多い傾向にあり，病弱者の生活における生きがいの意味について，今後さらに検討を深める必要性があることが確認された。

Abstract

　The purpose of this study is to clarify the living support of sickly, old people. We investigated the life worth living. The subjects were 141 sickly and healthy old people living in their homes and 30 sickly old people in the institution. Every one of them were over 60 years old.

　The results were as follows;

1. More sickly old people who live in their homes and in the institution answered that they were spending the life worth living than healthy old people living in their homes.

2. Many old people answered that hobbies have given them lives worth living, and many sickly old people had same tendency.

3.Many of the subjects, who answered that they were spending the life worth living, didn't answered that they felt solitude.

4.Many sickly old people living in their homes answered that they felt solitude. We have confirmed that it is necessary for us to study the meaning of worthy life of sickly old people more deeply hereafter.