Abstract
Objectives : The objective of the present study was to describe the gender differences among bereaved elderly adults with regard to social contact and going outdoors. Methods : A districtwide mail survey was conducted among 4,523 elderly residents, of which 72 (2.1%) had experienced bereavement. From the remaining 3,420 (75.6%) participants, 72 age- and gender-matched controls with corresponding levels of functional independence, who had not experienced bereavement, were enrolled. We compared the difference in social contact and going outdoors between the 2 groups using chi-square analysis. Results : The study participants (n = 144) comprised 46 males (31.9%) and 98 females (68.1%) with a mean age of 73.2 years (SD = 6.2). Of these, 128 (88.9%) elderly adults were capable of performing their physical functions independently. Compared to the nonbereaved elderly, the bereaved elderly reported that they were more likely to live alone or go shopping by themselves and were less likely to have a social network providing help with daily chores. The bereaved male elderly were reportedly less communicative with their family members or friends (in lending advice, asking for help or care when unwell) and did not have a support in crisis situations and have intention to use public service. Conclusions : The above results suggest that the male elderly has a greater tendency to remain socially isolated, especially the bereaved male elderly, who lack the support of a social network and intention to use public service. Hence, we need to develop particular community-based care programs for the bereaved male elderly population.
