Spiritual Quality Of Life Of Older People In Rural Communities

Population aging is the common grim reality to the world, together with China in the twenty-first century. With the increasing development of China’s economy and the continuous improvement of quality of life, the material needs of the elderly have gradually been improved and met. After the satisfaction of the basic needs, a higher level of the spiritual needs of the elderly, such as the needs for respect, entertainment needs, the demand for knowledge and the desire for self-realization will highlight. Therefore, how to meet the spiritual needs of the elderly become a new urgent situation to China’s current pension. As the rapid development of China’s industrialization and urbanization, a large number of young rural migrant workers rush into big cities to make a living, which brings about the gradual weakening as well as degradation of traditional rural family support and community support functions of China,and the spiritual life of the rural elderly is worrying. Therefore, the study of the spiritual quality and situation of life of the rural elderly is very necessary.Based on the review of the relevant literature on the basis, through the investigation to the situation of219elderly people’s spiritual life in Village A, Hunan province, I have understood the current emotional life of the rural elderly family, community participation in life, leisure life and spiritual life before, and factors affecting the spiritual life of the elderly have been analyzed.Study found that the elderly’s emotional life more rich, the elderly’s life satisfaction is higher; what’s more, their children, neighbors and friends are the most important source of support to the elderly’s emotional life, and age, health of the elderly also have an important impact on their interpersonal relationships. As for old people,the participation rate in group activities and political participation, is relatively low, while their religious participation is relatively high; meanwhile, the level of education and the condition of health are also restricting the choice of old people to participate in social activities; moreover, the majority of old people speak poor of the natural and social environment of the community.These all above affect the overall living standards of the elderly’s spiritual life. Lack of hardware facilities and organizational is also one of the important reasons that needs of the rural elderly’s community participation are not effectively meet.In conclusion, the overall quality of rural elderly’s leisure life is relatively low, and their recreational activities are focused on chatting, resting or staying idle at home, watching TV, listening to the radio, etc. Economic level, physical health, community facilities and organizational support for the elderly all have important impacts on their spiritual and cultural leisure life.