A Study On The Problem Of Mental Comfort In The "Old Floating Clan" In Rural Areas

Since the reform and opening up,as China's sustained and rapid economic development and the gradual easing of the urban-rural dual structure,the speed of social mobility has accelerated,and more and more young people have left their homes to work in major cities such as Beijing,Shanghai,and Guangzhou.Correspondingly,more and more elderly people have to go far away from their hometowns to live with their children and join the group of“Old Floating Clan" to take care of grandchildren and chores for their children.Most of them are in good health:they can take care of themselves in daily life,and they are financially secure to a certain extent.However,there are different degrees of problems in spiritual comfort.Although,they enjoy the joy of living an extravagant life and being surrounded by children and grandchildren,they have to endure the "empty nest" in spirit.With the double effect of the two-child policy being fully opening and the aging of the population becoming increasingly severe,such a situation will continue and may even increase further.On the basis of community visits to the X community of Shenzhen,the author put forward the research hypothesis that the satisfaction of the mental comfort of the"old floating clan" in urban areas is higher than those in rural areas.In order to test this hypothesis,the author designed an interview outline from three aspects:economic support,life care,and spiritual comfort.From the community,12 urban“old drift families”and rural "old drift families" were selected for interviews in depth.The interview results verified the author's hypothesis.Being far from their partners,having more disagreement with their children in terms of concept and behavior,lacking of interaction with friends in the neighborhood and poorly leisure and entertainment methods in their leisure time are the reasons that cause the pressing spiritual comforts for the rural "old drifters".Based on the assessment of needs and under the guidance of the theory of energy-boosting and social support,the author carried out six group activities for the design of the rural "old floating clan" in the interview.They were "you are here","Long live comprehension","Life Kit","remembering the past,pampering the moment","shaking the right arm" and "fancy age" are aimed to help them establish new peer support networks and reconstruct their relationship with their children.By this way,they could improve spiritual comfort satisfaction in remote places.Through the evaluation of the process and the assessment of the results,the author learned that the work of the group has a positive effect in enhancing the mental comfort of the"old drifters" in rural areas:the team members have discovered their own hobbies,established close relationships with each other,and the relationship between children has improved,and meanwhile their spiritual satisfaction has promoted.Finally,the author analyzes its experience and insufficiency,and discusses the role of social work in the spiritual comfort of the "old drifters" in rural areas,providing experience for relevant research.