การพัฒนารูปแบบภูมิปัญญาท้องถิ่นเพื่อการส่งเสริมสุขภาวะในผู้สูงอายุ:กรณีภาคเหนือตอนบน

Health promotion being a barrier to health behavior of the elderly may be due to the age restrictions that are responsible for good health behaviors, while recognizing that there were benefits to their health. Therefore, the concept of the so-called local wisdom to generate a great drive was important as it is the particular wisdom, the local knowledge derived from experience and the ingenuity of the people in the area. In other words, it is the knowledge gained through the ancestors and inherited from one generation to another generation. The wisdom through socialization and the passage of time has been modified, adjusted, and attuned to the situations concerned. That is to say, it came into existence and was moulded by a new social, cultural and environmental conditions. Thus, to find how to promote health behavior of the elderly, by means of local knowledge, especially in the upper-northern region teeming with local wisdom in particular is worth attempting. By a study of the application of a holistic concept of health promotion through local knowledge is to achieve the new behavior with self-confidence and skills for properly managing themselves and environment, caused by their own free-will, resulting in a balance in life, which is nothing but to offer an appropriate model for health promotion in the elderly. The elderly will there from have a better quality of life and live happily in society so as to do good to their own family and society as well.

This research aims at developing a model of local wisdom for promoting good health in the elderly, the expected group of people in the 6 upper-northern provinces. The study is based on research and development methodology cum participation. The study consists of two phases: 1) the study of health among the elderly, while acquiring a local knowledge to create health promotion activities, and 2) the development of local knowledge in order to promote health for elders. By means of synthetic activity, the appropriate local wisdom is utilized for elders from the first step. And a local model suitable for promoting a sustainable health program for the elders is accordingly worked out.

From the study, it is found that the expected elders in the six provinces in the Upper- North numbering 80 can be arranged in 3 groups according to their ability and health thus: 1) a group of old people healthy and energetic, 2) a group of old people healthy but less energetic and 3) a group of old people who have bad health.

The results of study on local wisdom as a body of knowledge in connection with the strengthening health for the elders can be arranged into four aspects: 1) traditional knowledge related to nutrition, 2) traditional knowledge relevant to good ง physical health, 3) traditional knowledge related to the field of massages and 4) traditional knowledge concerning social relations, including spiritual development, leading to very healthy elders.

On the elders’ healthy conditions and their social-cultural factors involved, researchers have discovered a substance by which the elderly live very healthy life. That is, they look after their life by means of holistic care as well as their way of life helpful to a better health. Caused by self-care lifestyle as such, six characters may be pointed out: 1) the responsibility for 1) health, 2) Exercise, 3) Nutrition, 4) Interpersonal support, 5) stress management, and 6) mental development.

The local wisdom model as such applied to two groups: 1) healthy elders and 2) infirm elders or ill health. To promote the health program for them, it carried out the program with the three aspects: 1) the physical activity in terms of nutrition, exercise, gymnastics, massage and recreation, and 2) the activities to promote mental health, both religious and social, and 3) the health promotion activities of the society, such as, Senior Citizens Club activities.

The research has caused the development of a local optimum wisdom for promoting health behavior of the elderly in the upper-northern provinces. The elderly have made use of local knowledge or a local optimum wisdom. In health promotion as such, it has created good health care habits so as to render a sustainable health care practice.