Social activities of older men who require daily support and the purpose of such activities.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze the social activities of older men who require daily support, and to clarify the purpose of such activities, in order to develop effective living support and preventive long-term care service, suitable for this population.Methods Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 older men. Data were analyzed using inductive and qualitative methods.Results Four categories of social activities were identified, and four categories of purposes of these social activities were extracted. The following were the identified social activities: maintenance of "comfortable relationships with others," including family, relatives, friends, and neighbors; "participation and use of services and programs with clear objectives and relationships with others," such as long-term care insurance system services, clubs for the elderly, and hobby groups; maintenance of "relationships with former colleagues, depending on their experience of working with them," where some individuals actively participated in gatherings with former colleagues, while others did not keep in touch at all; and participation in "activities to enrich their feelings and quality of life within their living space," such as reading, watching TV, and doing household chores. The purposes of the observed social activities were to build "relationships with society through communication with other people" and to have a "sense of security by spending time with people of the same age and with those older than them." Hence, participants engaged in clubs for the elderly, as well as in hobby groups. In addition, participants made time for exercising regularly, which maintained their cognitive function and was intended for the "maintenance and activation of their physical functions by continuing to exercise," and "continuing to learn by thinking." Furthermore, participants engaged in the exercise or hobby groups that they were interested in, in order to "utilize their time in a meaningful way" that lead to pleasure and enjoyment.Conclusion The following were the characteristics of the observed social activities: (1) the activities helped participants to maintain relationships with their coworkers, (2) participants had comfortable relationships with others, with these relationships exhibiting different levels (i.e. intimate relationships or casual), and (3) participants actively followed current events. They have clear purpose join and participate in social activities. In addition, it is suggested that this population engage in social activities to enrich physical function and overall quality of life.