An Optimal Beneficiary Profile to Ensure Focused Interventions for Older Adults

Our objective was to create a specific profile focusing on the characteristics of a possible optimal beneficiary of a newly developed program that is meant to increase the social inclusion and the participation in social life of older adults. The profile was built based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis that identified the extent to which participants (65+ from Bucharest) had the ability to improve their self-awareness competence through yoga classes adapted to their needs. The quantitative analysis (50 subjects) identified the level of impairment of the participants’ quality of life; it also measured their willingness to participate in a yoga program based on their pathologies at a mental and/or somatic level. To identify the participants needs and impediments, the Clinical Assessment Scales for the Elderly (CASE-SF) and the Quality-of-Life Assessment Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) were used. The qualitative analysis included organizing four focus-groups (17 subjects), aiming to identify the reasons for participating in a yoga program. The results showed that a diagnosed somatic impairment was correlated with an increased in their willingness to participate in yoga classes while an affective-cognitive pathology was associated with a decreased willingness to participate in such a program. The profile provides answers related to the specifics of the beneficiary based on their motivation, limits, and personality traits.