Book Description
Recent changes in the Military Health Services System (MHSS) have resulted in older military retirees feeling stripped of 'promised' health care benefits. Despite these changes, older military retirees remain eligible for full participation in MHSS health promotion and illness prevention programs. Current literature on self-care management of older adults is limited. No studies address the distinctive needs of older military retirees. A descriptive survey design and Howe's (1994) Self-Care Case Management Model were used in this study. The purpose of this study was to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the self-care behaviors practiced by community-based military retirees age 65 and older? (2) Who are the suppliers of self-care information to community-based military retirees age 65 and older? 3) What self- care management tools are used by community-based military retirees age 65 and older? Two separate interview instruments were used for data collection. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMS) (Folstein, Folstein, & McHugh, 1975) and an interview questionnaire developed by the researcher. The interview questionnaire consisted of 56 open-ended questions with forced response sets and assessed six different dimensions of self-care. Reliability and validity were estimated for both instruments. A convenience sample of 30 subjects was selected. Descriptive statistics and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) were used to analyze data. Selected personal characteristics of the subjects were also examined. Principle findings of the study showed older military retirees were self-reliant in caring for functional activities and mental/social conditions and relied on professional health care providers in caring for physical conditions. Self was identified as the key supplier of sgt\h1=hd4hd\h13 0)et>h- )Æ)Æ)Æ)Æ)Æ)Æ)Æ)Æ)Æ)Æ)Æ)Æ)Æ)Æ)