Regulatory factors for stepping up from participation in a health promotion program to an intergenerational volunteer program among the elderly

Abstract

It has been acknowledged that the development of social activities for the elderly in communities would solve various issues in modern society. However, actual community involvement and activities for senior citizens are scarce. Although elderly people want to participate in social activities, it is not always possible to find suitable activities.. This situation requires strategies to promote greater participation of seniors in community activities. The authors conducted a dementia prevention program, aimed at enhancing the health of the participants. In the program, the seniors were trained in how to read picture books. After the program, 26 out of the 54 participants expressed interest in participating in intergenerational activities. Various scales, including social participation/ psychological independence scales were used in analysis. The results suggested that those who are relatively psychologically independent, even if their current social participation score is low, will actively seek out intergenerational community activities.