Family Situation and Guideline for the Empowerment of Support Mechanisms for Quality Families in Aging Society: A Case of Muang Sri Kai Community

Abstract

This qualitative research aims to 1) explore characteristics and the nature of work, roles and duties of sub-district  organizations whose primary tasks are to provide support to better the quality and relationship among family members, 2) to study mechanical relationship towards to cooperation among related organizations, and, 3) to investigate and seek for operation methods towards the development of support mechanisms of quality families in selected areas, and, to provide guidelines for quality families. The focus is on organizations in selected sub-districts. The data was collected from key informants and related documents. Interviews and non-participatory observation were also employed. There were casual and formal meetings. The interviewees were 50 people comprising of office directors, committees and personnel of 7 operation units with the total number of sites/ groups of 36.

The results revealed that the characteristics of the work by sub-district organizations were to work in accordance to their main missions by using the concept of “household, temple and school”, using the relationship among these sites to better the quality and tighten the relationship among family members. Those who highly get involved with the mechanisms to better family quality were community leaders, volunteers and local scholars.

Another interesting issue of the results was the interwoven relationships in the mechanisms of the work to develop quality families among the organizations. Such relationships were formal and informal ones. The formal relationship could be seen in the form of policy formulation-the collaboration among government bodies and villagers through the top down policy power. However, the development of some organizations was not clear; The Children and Youth Council, for example. The work towards the development of quality family was also carried out informally among relatives and friends. The relationship among organization personnel was positive; working hand in hand and helping to complete assigned tasks. Moreover, such cooperation in various forms aforementioned could be interpreted as the collaboration in regional, social and cultural dimensions.

In addition to the two outstanding results, it could also be suggested that to raise the quality of family and life quality in regional or area contexts, activities to develop related organizations and their personal should be provided by focusing on the empowerment of family development centers in the communities first, as they are the centers of the collaboration for activities among related organizations.