Abstract
Introduction: Social activity is considered to be an important factor in the prevention of care for the elderly. The purpose of this study is to clarify the actual situation of social activities in COVID-19 through qualitative research focusing on the narratives of the elderly.
Subjects and Methods: The subjects were 12 elderly people over 75 years old who use a day-care Center in Kyoto City. The subjects were selected from those whose cognitive and physical functions were maintained and who were using day-care services for the purpose of care prevention. Semi-structured interviews were used to qualitatively and inductively analyze the characteristics of social activities in terms of activities that became difficult to carry out and activities that were able to be undertaken due to the effects of the COVID-19 voluntary restraint from going out.
Result: From the narratives on social activities in COVID-19, there were three categories of experiences that were difficult: family relations, face-to-face interactions with acquaintances, and volunteer activities. On the other hand, there were three categories of experiences that were implemented: activities for family members, ongoing interaction with acquaintances, and limited volunteer activities, indicating that they continued their efforts with ingenuity or started new ones. There were four categories of factors that enabled the implementation of social activities were identified: interest, past experience, human environment, and physical environment.
Conclusion: Due to the prolonged period of voluntary restraint from going out, various changes were observed in the social activities of the elderly. In order to maintain and promote social activities, it is important to focus on understanding the internal factors of the elderly, such as their interests and past experiences, and intervening in the external factors, such as the human and physical environments surrounding them.
https://ror.org/035t8zc32 
