Synergistic Effect of Motivation for the Elderly and Support for Going out

Abstract

Maintaining a social environment that enables going out freely is important for older people and aids the prevention of frailty syndrome. However, losing a driver’s license can increase the long-term care needs of older people. Therefore, outing support systems are important. However, the utilization rate of these systems is currently relatively low. We conducted a demonstration experiment among older people aged 70 years and over, living in Iruma City, Saitama Japan, by implementing the Choisoko outing support system developed by Aisin Co., Ltd., in conjunction with an approach for improving motivation. Using this system, elderly people were able to go shopping freely whenever they chose, without a driver’s license. Participants in the demonstration experiment exhibited higher Functional Independence Measure scores after the intervention, irrespective of whether or not they used the Choisoko system. The number of uses per person increased over time, and the subjective well-being of Choisoko users improved. However, few male participants engaged with the system. Although improving motivation is important for inducing positive behaviors and enabling the elderly to go out, motivation-improving factors differ between men and women.