我國將於2018年邁入高齡社會,要因應人口老化所帶來的挑戰已成為一個重要的議題。本研究希望瞭解我國中高齡者的未來準備情形,例如預先思考自己所可能面臨的老化問題,並且透過行動以進行未來生活的因應與規劃,進而產生學習行動的歷程,使他們在邁入老年期時,能夠過著活躍、有意義的生活。本研究以中高齡者為研究對象,以半結構式的深度訪談探討他們對於未來準備的學習歷程,包括未來準備之影響因素以及於進行未來準備過程中所採取的學習行動。本研究訪談7位對於未來準備有具體行動之中高齡者為對象,研究結果如下:(1)受訪者對於未來準備之意識的啟發因素包括:家人的影響、退休後延續職業生涯、退休後希望延續活躍的社會生活等;(2)受訪者對於未來最擔憂的事情是「健康問題」,而他們對於這些擔憂會轉化為學習行動,包括:主動參與學習、藉由學習尋找相關訊息等,希望累積更多的資源以因應未來的需要。
Taiwan will become an aged society in 2018, and developing means of dealing with the challenges of an aging population has become an important task for researchers. Purpose This study aims to understand middle-aged and older adults’ preparation for the future, and how they prepare themselves to face the problems of aging, and how they take action to plan and cope with their future life. Moreover, how do they engage in a process of active learning, so that they will be able to live a more active and meaningful life as they age? Method We conducted semi-structured interviews with 7 middle-aged and older adults who had taken actions to prepare for their future. We examined the interviewees’ consciousness and learning actions in their preparations for the future. Results & Discussion (1) The triggering factors of the interviewees’ consciousness to prepare for the future included: family events, their desire to maintain active social lives after retirement, the continuation of the interviewees’ professional careers after retirement, and their aspirations for participation in volunteer services. (2) "Health problems" was issues of utmost concern for the interviewees’ future. However, they transformed these worries into learning actions, comprised of active participation in learning and seeking out relevant information, thus accumulating more resources to cope with their future needs.