AGING WITH CHOICE: PREFERENCES FOR A RETIREMENT HOME OF AN ELDERLY CLIENT

Abstract

This study was conducted to identify the Client’s Preferences for a Retirement Home in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, Philippines. There were six (6) identified attributes for a retirement home after the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) from the selected five (5) clients from a sample retirement home at Co Su Gian, Home for the Aged, Davao City, Philippines. The following six (6) attributes were as follows; location, cost per month, nurse-patient relationship, facilities, food, and nurse/caregiver. Conjoint Analysis method was used to identify the relative importance and the utility values of each attribute. The study utilizes both the descriptive and causal methods of research. The three hundred thirty-four (334) respondents of the study were the government and private officials and employees of Tagum City, Davao del Norte, Philippines, who were 50 years old and over. The respondents for the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) were selected through a purposive sampling technique, and a stratified sampling technique was used for the primary survey, using Slovin’s formula. The design used was a survey method, with twenty (20) hypothetical designs for retirement homes generated with the use of Conjoint Analysis Statistical Software. The findings had shown that all six (6) attributes have contributed to the total utility for retirement homes. And at the aggregate levels, cost per month was the most important, and the location was the least important. The study revealed that participant one would accept any location for a retirement home as long as the cost per month is affordable. Whereas participants number two (2), four (4) and five (5), were willing to pay whatever the cost per month was for as long as the professional nurse was the one

who will care and assist them in their daily care. While participant number three (3), was not particular with food as long as the facilities were excellent. However, the result of the simulation of the study that the utility value of the retirement home will lower down when the cost per month of the retirement home from 25, 000 pesos, which was the most preferred, to 50, 000 pesos. And by changing the level of location, which was the least important, to close to family, will also decrease the total utility of the retirement homes. The results explained that although the overall result cost per month was the most important attribute and the location was the least important, but it was important to capture the preferences of the individual respondents. The study has shown that there was a significant difference in the overall result of the Clients’ Preferences for Retirement Home when group according to educational attainment. The preferences of those with masters and doctorate degrees had shown significantly higher than those who had just attended college or graduated in high school. And there was no significant difference in the Clients’ Preferences for Retirement Homes when respondents were grouped according to age, sex, religion, marital status, monthly income, living, and health condition.