Continuity of activities and learning needs of elderly with physical disabilities

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This study presents the results of a qualitative study that explored the continuity of activities and learning needs of the elderly with physical disabilities. Semistructured interviews with 50 elderly with physical disabilities who participate in the geriatric health care institution (60+) were employed for exploring their continuity of activities and learning needs. According to the survey results, each activity engaged by the elderly with physical disabilities were discontinued because of the change of their functional ability, daily life style, sense of self-efficacy, and physical barriers such as transportations. But the activities they experienced in the past, activities they "liked" and activities with "meanings through their own life" were continued and initiated by their supporters with their discovery and assistance to them. The highly mentioned learning needs of elderly with physical disabilities were areas of medical concern : rehabilitation and health promotion. They were trying to come to terms with their reality which made them dependant. They built an important theme that they want to reconstruct with their life which is " not to make a trouble with people around them" and "to be independence." Also their learning needs for "communication" with others and "contribution" to then family and people around them were strong. But on the other hand, many elderly with physical disabilities were "gives up the opportunities" to communicate with healthy people with same. generation or group except special friends. The reason behind it is their feeling that "tend to focus only on negative aspects of their self." This study had generalizability limitations primarily because of the interviewee's representativeness, but the importance of assessing each learning need of the elderly with physical disabilities and the necessity of their support system would not be underestimated