2019 Volume 60 Issue 2 Pages 78-90
To prevent the elderly’s isolation within the community, certain efforts are being promoted to ensure that elderly people do not lose their connections with society. This study seeks to clarify characteristics of a community café intended to prevent elderly people’s isolation in large cities. In particular, this study focuses on the café’s usage factors and on emotional and behavioral changes associated with that use, clarified in empirical and structural terms using qualitative data. Through qualitative research methodology, data were collected by participant observation and interviews. Qualitative coding was used for data analysis, which established that the café’s usage factors were that it was approachable, trustworthy, and reassuring, and that the elderly’s needs were met. Furthermore, by using the café, elderly people began to enjoy participating and maintained loose ties. From these details, the café’s characteristics could be defined as “greeting people and engaging with peers, and elderly people being able to keep an eye on their health—thanks to the cooperation of professionals—while chatting to each other, and to have access to support if necessary.”
