Amin Iftekhar
Department of Counseling and Human Services, University of North Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
J Cross Cult Gerontol. 2017 Jun;32(2):191-207. doi: 10.1007/s10823-017-9319-3.
To analyze older adults' definitions of successful aging in Bangladesh. The purposively selected study sample comprised twelve participants who were aged over 60. Interviews using in-depth semi-structured questionnaires were conducted based on participants' chosen mode, either face-to-face, or by phone. Findings of this study support that successful aging is multidimensional - that is - for Bangladeshis successful aging encompasses dimensions such as adaptation to an aging body, financial security, family and intergenerational care, and social participation. Older adults' emphases on all these dimensions were qualitatively different from those relevant in western societies. Bangladeshis see disease and disability as a normal part of aging and do not emphasize freedom from disease or longevity as much as North Americans and the US-focused successful aging discourses do. Family care is a key component of successful aging in Bangladesh. While in western models functional independence has been emphasized, for Bangladeshi older adults' adaptations to changing body, co-residing with children, being financially, physically, and emotionally dependent on family and receiving their care are viewed as normal and appropriate. Cross-cultural comparisons in this study suggest that what it means and entails to age well differ across cultures. This study highlights the need among health professionals to understand Bangladeshi culture, with its specific beliefs and values, as it relates to the views of aging well.
分析孟加拉国老年人对成功老龄化的定义。有目的地选取的研究样本包括12名60岁以上的参与者。根据参与者选择的方式，通过面对面或电话访谈，使用深度半结构化问卷进行调查。本研究结果支持成功老龄化是多维度的，也就是说，对孟加拉国人而言，成功老龄化涵盖适应衰老身体、经济保障、家庭和代际关怀以及社会参与等维度。老年人对所有这些维度的重视在性质上与西方社会相关维度不同。孟加拉国人将疾病和残疾视为衰老的正常组成部分，不像北美人和以美国为中心的成功老龄化话语那样强调无疾病或长寿。家庭照料是孟加拉国成功老龄化的关键组成部分。在西方模式中强调功能独立，而对孟加拉国老年人来说，适应身体变化、与子女同住、在经济、身体和情感上依赖家庭并得到他们的照料被视为正常且合适的。本研究中的跨文化比较表明，不同文化中良好老龄化的含义和要求存在差异。这项研究凸显了健康专业人员了解孟加拉国文化及其与良好老龄化观点相关的特定信仰和价值观的必要性。
