Bienestar subjetivo y formación de cuidadores de adultos mayores

Abstract

The proportion of senior citizens grows in the whole world and will continue to do so in the coming decades. For this reason, it is necessary to delineate and implement state plans to meet their social needs. These include the founding and maintenance of specialized social services and training of appropriate care staff. In this sense, the purpose of the research has been to establish the levels of well-being and the parameters that constitute it according to the opinion of Ecuadorian senior citizens. Data were obtained by applying the General Self-efficacy, General Welfare and Social Welfare, Gratitude Questionnaire, and self-perception questions to a sample of 386 senior citizens who were contacted at social service centers or while waiting for a public service. The analysis shows that self-efficacy and gratitude are predictive of well-being and that those participating in social service centers have higher average values at all scales. The results demonstrate the need for older adults to participate in academic, social and recreational activities to stren- gthen their psychological resources, with emphasis on self-efficacy and gratitude. In the training of caregivers, it should be emphasized that the care of the older adult transcends medical and nursing issues and that his subjective state of well-being is as important as material quality of life.