Formation of an Organized Mutual Care Network through the Hobby Activities of Elderly Adults Living Alone

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25862266
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Community health nursing
• Research Institution: Okinawa Prefectural College of Nursing
• Principal Investigator: TABA YUKI 沖縄県立看護大学, 看護学部, 講師 (30549027)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 趣味活動 / 見守りネットワーク / 一人暮らし高齢者

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study sought to investigate possibilities for the formation of an organized mutual care network based on the requirements and realities of social interaction among users of a hobby activity forum for the elderly. The forum in question gave a sense of purpose to the lives of its members even as they were conscious of growing older, and consequently it contributed to the establishment of daily rhythms and healthy behavior. In terms of personal relationships, however, relational development and expansion tended to be inhibited by elderly’s personal experience of old age, which was shared throughout the forum as a sense of burden associated with feelings of guilt about living alone and a sense of encroaching on the lives of others. Personal relationships were not obligatory in the context of the hobby activities discussed on the forum, and priority was instead given to individual enjoyment.

Free Research Field

老年看護