Household Work in the Advanced Age

From the Standpoint of Physical Work

Abstract

A survey on use of time was conducted, mainly to confirm the relationship between household work and age, on 221 subjects (61 males and 160 females) ranging in age from sixties to nineties living together with their children in and around Kumamoto City.
A significant decrease in the total amount of household working time was observed in the senile group over 75 years old. The decrease was most remarkable in household tasks using hands and arms. Periods of household work and rest showed a negative correlation : an increase in the duration of household working time was achieved at the cost of rest time, resulting in a net increase in the total working time.
Current mechanization enabled the senior people to perform daily household tasks more easily by themselves. Such physical exercises seem to give proper stimuli to peripheral nerves and results in checking the progress of aging.