The Elderly Peoples’ Perception of Their Social Well-being in Selected Mainstream Churches in Affluent Karen-Langata Nairobi, Kenya

Gachuri, Esther Wangari; Wambugu, Anne; Kamau, Elizabeth

The Elderly Peoples’ Perception of Their Social Well-being in Selected Mainstream Churches in Affluent Karen-Langata Nairobi, Kenya

dc.contributor.author	Gachuri, Esther Wangari
dc.contributor.author	Wambugu, Anne
dc.contributor.author	Kamau, Elizabeth
dc.date.accessioned	2024-01-25T16:40:24Z
dc.date.available	2023-06-29T07:20:14Z
dc.date.available	2024-01-25T16:40:24Z
dc.date.issued	2023-03
dc.description.abstract	The world is experiencing exponential growth in the elderly population. Old age is a difficult time characterized by unfamiliar terrain of loss of traditional family social systems, poor health, and social challenges. This study examined the elderly people's own perception of their social well-being in selected mainstream churches in affluent KarenLangata, Nairobi, Kenya. The study used a qualitative descriptive phenomenological approach. A purposeful sampling method was used to select 11 respondents in the in-depth interviews and 12 respondents in the focus group discussions. The population of the study was the category of the young-old who were 60-75 years. Verbatim data were transcribed, and descriptive themes were generated to show individual perspectives. According to the findings, the death of spouses, dwindling social networks, lack of social roles, and broken family ties led to isolation, loneliness, and poor social integration. Their sense of solidarity and inclusion in society was experienced through an invitation to functions and receiving and giving aid, while it was also hampered by not being visited, loss of mobility due to illness, and by living in isolated neighborhoods. In addition, belonging to welfare groups, church fellowships, and receiving economic support and social support from significant others gave the elderly people a sense of belonging and therefore influenced their social well-being. The growing elderly population should prompt policymakers to give priority to measures that will improve their social well-being. The government should review the Ksh. 2,000 given to the elderly, considering those who also retired at 60 years. Elderly-friendly insurance plans or free medical services for the elderly should be available. The churches should also prioritize programs for the elderly.
dc.identifier.issn	2321 - 9203
dc.identifier.uri	https://repo.pacuniversity.ac.ke/handle/123456789/3686.2
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher	THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES & SOCIAL STUDIES	en_US
dc.rights	Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States	en
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/
dc.subject	Elderly people, perception, social well-being	en_US
dc.title	The Elderly Peoples’ Perception of Their Social Well-being in Selected Mainstream Churches in Affluent Karen-Langata Nairobi, Kenya	en_US
dc.type	Article	en_US