Effective Social Support to Enable Older Adults Living Alone in Japan to Continue Living at Home

TL;DR

This study explores how effective social support helps older adults in Japan live alone at home by analyzing care levels and support factors.

Contribution

The study identifies specific factors, like indoor temperature control, that influence older adults' ability to live alone in urban Japan.

Findings

Differences in characteristics were found between groups at different care levels.

Indoor temperature control was identified as a key factor for continuing to live alone.

The study provides insights into effective long-term care for older adults living alone.

Abstract

Japan has the world’s fastest-aging population. The number of older adults living alone has increased rapidly; however, the number of people waiting for nursing care facilities is high, especially in urban areas, and home care is unavoidable. Few studies have focused on older adults living alone who require nursing care, and almost no reports have examined the factors influencing the continuation or discontinuation of living alone. Furthermore, no reports were found that classified nursing care levels for the survey. This study’s purpose was to clarify what kind of long-term care for older adults living alone in urban areas is most effective in enabling them to continue living at home. A total of 122 older adults in need of long-term care in Osaka City were divided into two groups; one group was those who continued to live alone in December 2022, the other was those who had to discontinue doing so after January 2020. A questionnaire was distributed to the care managers responsible for older adults living alone who required nursing care. The participants’ basic attributes, long-term care services usage, and the characteristics of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) support were compared according to care level using Fisher’s exact test. The relevant effective factors for continuing to live alone were extracted using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. The results showed differences in the characteristics of both groups at both care level categories used in the study, Support Care Level 1–Nursing Care Level 2 and Nursing Care Level 3–5. Among the support items, indoor temperature control was suggested as a factor that influences continued living alone.