Abstract ▼ AI-Helper

People today are living in what has been termed the ‘Homo Hundred’. The present study explores the retired with a social status change live forest-based healthy lives in an aging society. Human beings can live healthy lives in coexistence with others and themselves in the forest. The present study e...

People today are living in what has been termed the ‘Homo Hundred’. The present study explores the retired with a social status change live forest-based healthy lives in an aging society. Human beings can live healthy lives in coexistence with others and themselves in the forest. The present study explored the ways that human beings live healthy lives in coexistence with the forest according to their individual characteristics. The study involved a review of the emerging issue of aging populations in modern society and examines related concepts, theories, and studies to conceptualize the view of forest living of retirees. A research model was developed for analysis of the interrelations among the respondents with the forest in terms of social status change and forest welfare. Study data were collected from six male and six female retirees who were born in the 1950s and 1960s and were living in the cities of Daegu and Gyeongbuk and fit the characteristics required for the study. Data were collected by individual interview and qualitative analysis using ‘Grounded Theory’. The analysis results revealed that the retirees’ forest-based life according to their individual characteristics, career background, and where they grew up into the following: new life (the Third Age), life to stay with, life boundary (one’s own life to create), and life of togetherness. In terms of behavior orientation, the male and female participants showed goal-oriented and processed-oriented behaviors, respectively; both male and female participants’ interest in the forest was high if they had grown up in the forest. From the retirees’ perspective, the forest can be defined as a ‘Sacred Encounter’ as it provides all creatures on earth with the basic resources for human life, and an ecological environment for the mental and physical health to promote wisdom and sustainable life. The analysis results portrayed the retirees who are active and exercise social and economic influence and live and practice an active, peaceful life with a pride based on economic capability.
The essential themes of living a forest-based healthy life with social status change include: (1) new life as the Third Age, (2) life to stay with, (3) life boundary to create, (4) life of togetherness, (5) self-directed life, and (6) prepared life. This study was conducted to propose a forest-based healthy life for retirees with social status change. The study explored and analyzed the process in which individuals return to the forest throughout their lives, revealing findings that can be used to inform forest welfare policymaking for the elderly.