The Comparison And Interpretation Of Mutual Help And Social Support Between The Elderly Of Han And Uyghur

A series of eldercare issues that are the result of ageing have become a societal focus and sparked discussion on the topic.Scholars have conducted extensive research into traditional eldercare methods,such as family eldercare,home-based eldercare,and institution-based eldercare.These studies share a common feature:they all regard the elderly as the objects to be supported and taken care of.This thinking implies that the elderly are incapable of taking care of themselves;in fact,as the level of medical care improves,the average life expectancy and the quality of life of the elderly is significantly improved.For the elderly,they have great initiative to look after themselves and others' lives.Especially for the young elderly who have just retired,they have more time and energy compared to young people.Mobilizing the enthusiasm of these elderly people for mutual eldercare not only releases the dividends of the elderly and alleviate labor shortages,but also eases the pressures of older people on eldercare.Therefore,the mentality of solving eldercare problems needs to be rethought.In China,the mutual help in eldercare,as a relatively new eldercare method,has gradually attracted the attention of the academic community and Chinese society in recent years.In the previous research into mutual help in eldercare,the discussion focused on mutual aid eldercare from the perspective of social work practice.Although these discussions are practical to a certain extent,the lack of depth within the theory is the result of different ways of thinking.Other representative researches were conducted at the theoretical level of policy guidance.Though such studies are research-oriented,they lack continuity.As a dissertation,this paper is characterized by the systematic description of the causes and cultural background of mutual help in eldercare,as well as social networks and motivations that support its development.This article takes Urumqi,Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as a case study to examine the social capital of the elderly and their impact on mutual aid in eldercare.As the capital of Xinjiang,Urumqi gathers the ethnic minorities living in Xinjiang,and brings together the best economic,social,and medical conditions in the region.It lays a sound basis for this investigation.Different ethnic minorities have different cultural backgrounds and social capital.In this social environment,the elderly of different ethnic groups involved in mutual aid eldercare are bound to have different motives and behavior.This paper starts from the analysis of social capital of the Uighur and Han elderly people,and explores the opinions and behaviors of the Uighur and Han elderly people on mutual help in eldercare.From the angle of social capital,this paper explains the causes of mutual help in eldercare and the views of Uygur and Han elderly people about mutual help in eldercare.Based on the social and cultural conditions in Xinjiang,this paper analyzes the mutual help in eldercare.It is expected that mutual aid in eldercare will continue in Xinjiang,and alleviate the eldercare problems brought by the aging of local population,while responding to the social phenomena of local characteristics.Focusing on qualitative research methods,this paper adopts literature analysis methods,focus groups,in-depth interviews and other methods to conduct discussions.This paper,based on the social capital theory,uses social network theory,reciprocity theory,and social trust theory to analyze the psychological and behavioral motives and factors regarding mutual help in eldercare.Based on a multicultural background,this paper analyzes how different cultures influence the choice of mutual help and mutual help in eldercare by Uighur and Han elderly people,and accordingly proposes the formal and informal support social support to promote the development of mutual help in eldercare.The main conclusions of this study are as follows:First,different social capitals and cultural backgrounds have different influences on the concepts and behavior of the people involved in mutual help.Admittedly,most cultures teach people to do good deeds,uphold love and support solidarity.In this regard,despite the different cultural background,the mainstream values it advocates should be similar.However,due to differences in regions,religions,traditions,and socio-economic development in different cultures over a long period of time,the differences in various cultures also grow.Even the same culture can affect the people living in different regions in a different way.In the case of mutual aid in eldercare studied in this paper,people from different cultural backgrounds have different driving forces when participating in mutual aid.This difference is reflected not only in the thinking on mutual help in eldercare,but also in the degree of participation.Second,social networks supported by informal society have a vital role for older people,especially for older people participating in mutual help in eldercare.This study involves elderly people living in urban communities.Although these elderly people have pensions that provides basic guarantees for them,economic guarantees cannot cover all aspects of the needs of the elderly.For the spiritual needs and other aspects,the elderly need to rely on an informal social support network.At present,most elderly people who participate in mutual help in eldercare are empty-nesters.In addition to the basic life needs,they have intense spiritual needs.As an informal support,mutual aid in eldercare can help them relieve loneliness.Third,the development of social work for the elderly can help the predicament of the elderly by enriching their social capital,expanding their social networks,and connecting them to social resources.It is conducive to the development of community social welfare systems and the building of an age-friendly society.Although its coverage and service content are limited,community-based social support networks and community welfare system have gradually-been accepted by older people.Under the increasing ageing,we shall focus on community,and use the concept of social trust to integrate the behavior of mutual assistance among the neighbors,and then cooperate with existing social work service agencies,social workers,and other resources that can be mobilized in the community in forming the community support network for the older people.It can provide a good social environment for building an age-friendly society.This is also in line with the connotations of an age-friendly society.Fourth,the development of mutual aid in eldercare is conducive to social stability and national unity.According to the developmental characteristics of Urumqi,at the current stage,stability maintenance covers almost all areas of social development and people's livelihood.It is worth noting that older people have abundant resources,whether it is the social capital accumulated over years of employment or their social networks.Although the government's efforts in stability maintenance cover many channels,it rarely involves the elderly population.Therefore,we should realize the rich social capital and social networks of the elderly.We should promote national unity and development while developing mutual help in eldercare and solving eldercare problems.The author considers that the development of mutual help in eldercare in a multicultural context is an undertaking that can achieve win-win results.In particular,under the condition of providing comprehensive formal support for the development of mutual help in eldercare,we encourage the integration of informal support into mutual help in eldercare,develop the community welfare system,advocate the establishment of an age-friendly society,and allow older people to establish their social capital and initiative.This can ease the pressure of eldercare,and also promote national unity and social stability.