Use of convenience stores in community-dwelling older adults who utilize home help services offered under the long-term care insurance

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of older adults on the support for daily life provided by convenience stores

Abstract

  The aim of this study was to show how community-dwelling older adults who needed support or care used the convenience store in their daily lives. We conducted a questionnaire survey on older adults who used a convenience store in one ward of Tokyo’s metropolitan area. The managers of the home help services were invited to participate in the survey, and those who agreed (n = 28) were asked to respond to the questionnaire. The cases of 64 community-dwelling older adults were studied. The mean age was 77.8 ± 11.4 years; 47% were men; and those needing care under levels 1 and 2 were 31% and 30%, respectively. Sixty-eight percent of them visited the store alone, 75% went on foot, and 91% bought readymade food and/or bread. Those with disabilities in activities of daily living (ADL) were usually accompanied by a caregiver (p = 0.001) and came to the store mostly in a wheelchair (p = 0.018) more than those without disabilities in ADL. The store managers considered the convenience store as more important for those spending a time alone int the daytime (p = 0.064) and those with disabilities in ADL (p = 0.013) compared to those spending a time with someone and those without disabilities.