Development of Activities to Enhance Mental Management Skills and Develop Wisdom for the Elderly with Buddhist LOVE Model

Abstract

The research entitled “Development of activities to enhance mental management skills and develop wisdom according to Buddhism for the elderly using the LOVE MODEL” has the three objectives: 1) to synthesize a set of knowledge on mind management and development of wisdom according to Buddhism for the elderly, 2) to develop activities to enhance mental management skills and develop wisdom according to Buddhism for the elderly using the LOVE MODEL, and 3) to experiment with activities to enhance mental management skills and develop wisdom according to Buddhism for the elderly using the LOVE MODEL. This research investigates the development of psycho-cognitive interventions to enhance metacognitive regulation and cultivate contemplative wisdom according to Buddhist epistemology for geriatric populations through the implementation of the LOVE MODEL paradigm. The investigation employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods research design, integrating both quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches. The study population comprised elderly residents (n=50) from Hom Kret Subdistrict in Sam Phran District, with 15 participants engaging in semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions (qualitative strand), while 35 subjects participated in the experimental protocol (quantitative strand). Research instrumentation included an intervention implementation manual, systematic behavioral observation protocols utilizing structured metrics, intervention efficacy assessment instruments, quantitative data subjected to descriptive statistical analysis (x̄, S.D.), and qualitative data analyzed through thematic content analysis, hermeneutic interpretation, and phenomenological reduction to elucidate emergent patterns. The empirical findings revealed that the Satipatthana framework (Four Foundations of Mindfulness) constitutes an efficacious metacognitive mechanism for cultivating attentional regulation in quotidian contexts, while the ontological principles of Trilaksana (Three Marks of Existence), Pancakkhandha (Five Aggregates), and Maranassati (Mindfulness of Mortality) provide the theoretical foundation for wisdom cultivation. These Buddhist epistemological constructs were operationalized as pedagogical interventions within the quadripartite LOVE MODEL framework: Learning acquisition (L), Ontological receptivity (O), Valuational cognition (V), and Experiential transcendence (E). The intervention protocol was systematically developed into a comprehensive implementation manual comprising three discrete modules: "Phenomenological Perception of Existential Reality through Buddhist Hermeneutics," "Metacognitive Regulation in Quotidian Experience," and "Contemplative Approaches to Mortality Acceptance." Post-intervention phenomenological inquiry revealed significant enhancement in participants' metacognitive awareness, ontological receptivity, dialectical exchange capabilities, and experiential knowledge articulation regarding intrapersonal cognitive regulation. Participants demonstrated enhanced comprehension of existential impermanence and contingency, along with elevated self-recognition of intrinsic and interpersonal axiological significance.