A Survey on Elders' Experience in and Preference for a Mentoring Program.
- Author:
Hee Gerl KIM
1
;
Kum Jae LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Nursing, Kyungwon University, Korea. hgkim@kyungwon.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Mentoring;
Needs;
Preference;
Older adults
- MeSH:
Aged;
Delivery of Health Care;
Humans;
Korea;
Loneliness;
Mentors*
- From:Journal of Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing
2008;19(4):554-563
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate elders' experience in a mentoring program and preferred characteristics of the program. METHODS: Two hundred and ten elders dwelling in Sungnam-si, Korea participated in the survey from April 1 to May 30, 2008. Using SPSS Win 10.0, descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and t-test were performed. RESULT: About two thirds of the elders had experience as a mentee, and a large number of them reported that it was helpful. Compared to those without, the elders with the mentee experience were more likely to perceive that it is easier to build a mentor-mentee relationship. The most common reason for wanting a mentee experience was loneliness, whereas the most frequent reason for not wanting was feeling a burden when meeting a stranger. Preferred characteristics of a mentoring program differed between the elders who had the mentee experience and those who did not. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that a mentoring program is highly likely to provide psycho-social support to the elderly. Also, a large number of the elders who had never had a mentor-mentee relationship wanted to have it in the future. This study suggests that healthcare professionals include a mentoring program in healthcare services for the elderly, considering preferred characteristics of a mentor-mentee relationship.
