This study set out to help the aged overcome their death anxiety and take it as part of life through counseling and increase the quality of their life based on a positive and sound attitude toward life. The practical measures suggested in the study to increase the quality of life in old age, which is the final stage of human development, were as follows; the first one was to examine the concept of death and the death anxiety of the aged; the second one was to review counseling for the elderly in terms of concepts, principles, and types; and the third one was to examine such counseling techniques for the elderly as would help them overcome their death anxiety and maintain and promote a healthy life physically, mentally, spiritually, and psychologically. The counseling techniques for the elderly examined in the study include the reminiscence technique, leisure counseling, narrative therapy, reality therapy, role technique, active listening, confrontation, summary technique, communication training, and media learning.
The research efforts led to the following conclusions in respect to counseling for the death anxiety of the elderly: first, it's necessary to transform their values and perspectives through counseling so that they can maintain a healthy life mentally and physically and prepare for their death although the importance of the economical aspect is obvious. Second, there is no universal counseling to deal with death anxiety among the elderly of today and those of a super-aged society in future. Thus counseling sessions should be provided in multilateral approaches including age, gender, and educational backgrounds so that they can accept death as part of life and understand their own death. Third, there is a need to promote "prepared death" by making use of mass media including popular media and the Internet and to create a social atmosphere of accepting death as a natural part of life. Fourth, an ideal welfare service for the elderly should be developed to manage their deaths in a rational manner. Fifth, the researchers should make efforts to develop educational programs related to death anxiety, whose number is small in Korea. In addition, counseling manuals regarding death anxiety should be provided to the practitioners on the field. And finally, it's needed to develop and utilize counseling programs appropriate for the characteristics of the target such as the elderly with a lower income level or poor health.