Summary
The Asia Pacific region is a vast geographical area in the Southern Hemisphere comprising 48 countries, with sharp contrasts in economic and social conditions.
Due to longer life expectancies, ageing populations and smaller families, ageing persons will require much health and social care in the future.
Elderly people in the Asia Pacific region face diseases associated with ageing and challenges common to all age groups
within the region, such as environmental health issues related to global warming, communicable diseases,
non-communicable diseases and health system development challenges.
The WHO acknowledges that it mostly presents Asian Pacific population health data from large epidemiological studies in quantitative form, but graphs and tables of indicators cannot fully describe the health situation.
People’s narratives of their own health care experiences needs are still required to “fill in the gaps” and make sense of quantitative data.
In this article, I argued that the scope and size of health issues in the Asia Pacific region, particularly those encountered by ageing people, provides plenty of opportunities for qualitative research inquiry.
I suggested that nurses and other healthcare professionals can better meet elderly people’s health needs in the Asia Pacific region if they consider using interpretive and critical qualitative research approaches to describe their illness and health experiences and find ways to address health care inequities.