Modern society has been gradually seeing the phenomenon of aging among population due to the extension of mean age in accordance with the development of science and medical technology. Especially, Korea entered into the aging society with 7.1% of its ...
Modern society has been gradually seeing the phenomenon of aging among population due to the extension of mean age in accordance with the development of science and medical technology. Especially, Korea entered into the aging society with 7.1% of its population over 65, and it would enter into the aged society soon if this trend should continue.
The increase of old population results in senior issues. It brings about economical problems resulted from income reduction after resign, health problems due to the physical function decline and chronic diseases, and role loss and status decline in home and society. Thus, these senior issues have spread as serious social issues and gone to the point of the necessity of the government’s care.
We need appropriate measures for the senior issues since interest in the promotion of older people’s life quality due to aging in population and their physical and psychological health maintenance is directly connected with successful aging. Thus, active physical activities are more important than anything for quality promotion of life at old ages and prevention of aging processes.
Dance programs have positive effects on aesthetic desire and health, physical strength increase, and joy of life, and meet old people’s desires for education and leisure.
Also, Dance is a field that can cover both the physical and psychological areas among other areas in senior education programs. Currently, elderly schools and welfare facilities for old people in Korea open various dance programs withthe titles of Korean dance, dance sports, long life gymnastics, and silver dance, which give old people vitality by allowing them to learn and acquaint themselves with new things through physical and psychological health maintenance and cultivation of interpersonal skills. Hence, this study finds its significance from the fact that by investigating old people’s satisfaction with participation in dance programs for health enhancement, it presents a plan for activation in tandem with the investigation and contributes to the promotion of their quality life.
As a method of research, I have interviewed 108 old persons participating in the dance programs provided by the 3 elderly welfare centers where I have given leuctures.
79% of the participating old people were engaging in dance programs for more than one year, and many of them also were participating in more than one dance program. As for the frequency of dance program participation, 50% of the interviewees attend 1-2 times per week, and others reported thatthey regulated the frequency since excessive engagement would be dangerous for health with respect to joints and others. In addition, 68% of the entire interviewees had experiences in public performances and 84% of them reported that they came to be more interested in the programs after the performances. For the question about the motives of dance program participation, overwhelming 59% reported the publicity within the centers, which means that there were problems with dance program publicity. On the other hand, the old persons using the welfare centers indicated several items for improvement. First of all, 52% indicated transportation, and extension of class hours and retarded facilities appeared as next most frequently designated problems.
The present researcher wants to make a number of suggestions based on the above results.
First, diverse ways of publicity should be designed. Given that elderly welfare centers’ publicity occupied the majority of the motives of dance program participation as the results of this study show, diversification of publicity should be urgently carried out because old people have few chances to participate in such programs unless they looks for a program by themselves.
Second, transportation systems should be improved. Third, welfare facilities should be improved.
Given that dance programs need proper acoustic systems and space for movement, there are many uncomfortable aspects because only a few centers are equipped with such systems an spaces. Thus, for quality promotion of programs, facilities should be improved.
Fourth, development of a dance program is needed in tandem with integrated physical training programs. Fifth, personnel support with health and fitness instructors should be provided within elderly welfare centers. It is necessary to provide personnel support with health and fitness instructors or simple treatment personnel within elderly welfare centers, and development of dance programs fitting to levels in accordance with health statuses as judged by them should be carried out.
Lastly, senior education programs should be provided for senior dance program instructors. We should help dance program leading instructors carry out more effective programs by providing them with programs centered on theories of old people’s physical characteristics in order for them to understand things with old people at large. Thus, with cultivation of excellent senior education instructors and development of various dance programs, we should help old people lead healthy and active senescent life by participating in dance programs.