Family Support and Community Elderly Caring in Chien-Guo Village of Guoshing Subcounty

[[abstract]]本研究旨在探討於高齡化社會，台灣農村家庭在社會變遷與社區照護的介入下，家庭與奉養型態如何因應。因此，本文以傳統中國家庭運作的基本法則，探討：（一）時空流轉下的家庭型態如何因應社區的老人問題，即家庭關係與結構的改變如何影響老人日常生活的運作與維持以及如何牽連子女居住與經濟規劃。（二）社區照護體系所反映出來的社會網絡如何扮演它的的角色，即當地村民如何結合家戶、社區及醫療體系的力量來照顧老人，又發展出什麼樣的社區意識與人際關係。 為回答上述問題，本研究針對國姓鄉乾溝村二十戶家庭及兩個社區照護單位（龍眼林福利協會與乾溝老人日間關懷站），進行參與觀察及深度訪談。本研究發現，在傳統家庭觀念下，老人仍傾向在家由子女奉養，但輪伙頭的情形式微，而自炊自理的情況增加。不過，在社區照護單位的協助之下，老人得以活化社會關係，且可以不必然在家安養。此外，本研究也發現，社區照護體系得以推動，是因為在地的非營利組織力量結合公部門資源暨當地人力與資源，一方面協助社區老人活化人際關係，另方面發展並凝聚新的社區意識。[[abstract]]This study is to investigate how the traditional family support copes with the need of elderly caring under the influence of social change and a newly developed community caring system in an aging rural village. Based upon the operational principals of the traditional Chinese family, this study explored: (1) how the traditional family copes with the village elderly problem under social changes, i.e., how the changes of the relations and the structures in a family influence the maintenance and the operation of the daily life of the elders as well as the economic plan and resident consideration of the children；(2) how the social network of the newly developed community caring system plays a role in the elderly caring , i.e., how the local villagers integrate the supports of the family, community and the health care system and how the social network help to develop a new sense of community and to activate the interpersonal network for the elderly people. To answer the above mentioned two questions, this investigation was based upon the participant observation and questionnaire of twenty families in ChienGuo village of Guoshing subcounty. And a special focus was put upon two community caring units: Long-Yan-Lin Welfare Association and Chien-Guo Elderly Caring Station. The research found that the elders still preferred living with their own family with the supports from the children. Nevertheless, the traditional system of “rotating caring by the son” had became weakened gradually and more elders had to cook and care by themselves. The research also found that the community elderly caring system was developed under the assistance of the local non-profit organization (NPO) that knows how to integrate the governmental and local resources. The NPO helped to activate the elders’ interpersonal relationships outside of the family and to develop a new sense of “community” that is different from the traditional sense of “village.”[[note]]碩