Abstract
The occupation-focused group programs for health and well-being promotion of community-dwelling elderly in occupational therapy have been developing. This study aimed to verify the effects of a group program using the Activity Diary for satisfaction with occupation, the feeling of Ikigai, and life satisfaction among community-dwelling elderly. The participants of the program were 125 community-dwelling elderly over 65 years old. Sixty-two participants who were allocated to the intervention group attended four sessions of 120 minutes weekly and wrote in the Activity Diary daily during the program period. Sixty-three participants were allocated to a non-intervention control group. The primary outcome was the Activity and Daily Life Satisfaction Scale (ADLSS) to measure satisfaction with occupations. The secondary outcomes were K-I Scale for the Feeling that Life is Worth Living among the Aged (K-I Scale) to measure the feeling of Ikigai, and Life Satisfaction Index-Z (LSI-Z) to measure life satisfaction. There was a follow-up period of one and a half months. The percentage of participation was 99.2%. The scores of the intervention group improved significantly more than the control group for the ADLSS, K-I scale and LSI-Z (p<.001). The effect sizes r for each outcome were medium (r=0.33-0.38). The program can contribute to enhanced satisfaction with occupation, the feeling of Ikigai, and life satisfaction for community-dwelling elderly.
