The impact of counselling on elderly's dignity in Singapore : a study protocol

Article

HUNG, Ho Yeow | AZMAN, Azlinda | JAMIR SINGH, Paramjit Singh

BACKGROUND: Psychological counselling is perceived as a treatment that could significantly improve elderly individuals' psychological and behavioural functioning. There is a dearth of information on the impact of psychological counselling on preserving dignity and facilitating good ageing among the elderly population in Singapore. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study are as follows: (1) to assess advance care planning among the elderly and their perception of life and health, end-of-life, and end-of-life care (2) to explore the elderly's accessibility and receptiveness towards counselling (3) elucidate elderly's perspectives on counselling and its impact on emotional management and decision-making (4) to assess the elderly's competencies in emotional management, and (5) to propose an intervention model for enhancing the elderly's well-being and dignity through psychological counselling in Singapore. METHODS: A mixed-method study design involving quantitative and qualitative methods will be employed. Elderly individuals receiving some form of preventive, primary, or long-term care in the community through Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) from the Senior Activity Centres (SACs) located in eastern Singapore would participate in the qualitative phase. Six elderly individuals from each SAC would be enrolled for the interview section to explore six components; Advanced Care Planning (ACP), Accessibility and Receptiveness towards Counselling, and Emotional Management and Decision-making. The ACP instrument is designed to assess advance care planning among elderly individuals and the Trait Meta Mood Scale (TMMS) - an instrument developed to measure Meta-mood experience and emotional management will be used in the quantitative phase among 100 participants. Data will be analysed thematically using NVIVO version 12, whereas descriptive statistics and one-sample T-test will be conducted in SPSS version 25 for empirical data analyses. RESULTS: The ACP instrument is designed to assess advance care planning among elderly individuals and the Trait Meta Mood Scale (TMMS) - an instrument developed to measure Meta-mood The qualitative phase which involves a semi-structured interview has been completed among 20 elderly individuals aged 66-86 years old. Thematic analysis of the data is still ongoing. Meanwhile, the quantitative phase commenced on March 22, 2022, with 100 participants providing signed and informed consent to participate in the study. The study is expected to be completed by March 2023. CONCLUSIONS: The mixed methods study will document the current awareness of ACP, accessibility and receptiveness towards counselling, and the potential use of psychological counselling in enhancing well-being and dignity among the elderly population in Singapore. The research findings will benefit policymakers in their decision-making when attempting to mitigate the potential barriers to seeking counselling assistance among the elderly population. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT: DERR1-10.2196/45557.

http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/45557

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