Sutudy on the so-called active-life loss of elderly and community support systems in Sapporo, Yubari and Takasu in Hokkaido Prefecture.

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To analyze the changing features of social network, social supprot system and health status of elderly, people, a social support system and health status of elderly people, a follow-up study was performed 3 years after the first survey of the social environment and health-related issues among men and women in Sapporo Yubari, and Takasu in Hokkaido Prefecture.The results were as follows ;1.The prevalences of diseases, such as senile cataracts, respiratory diseases, heat diseases, liver diseases, arthralgia, varicocele, osteoporoses, and dental diseases were slightly increased, compared with 3 years ago. Almost ninety percent of the elderly people who responded, to our questionnaire did not show any symptoms of dementia, although the percentage having some of the symptoms related to dementia increased. There had been changes neither in the activities of daily living (ADL) of those elderly people nor in their instrumental activities of daily living (IADL).1.Different features of life even … More ts were observed among the elderly people categorized by their living status. During the previous 1 year, more than 50 percent of men or women living along had suffered from life events, such as wrosening of their economic or health condition, death of a spouse or friend, or having been forced to change their place of residence.Elderly living alone experienced significantly more stressful life events than the others.2.Unexpectedly, the subjects indicated a larger amount of social support in the present survey than 3 yaars ago. More formal support from official personnel such as public health nurse, district welfare commissioners and so on was reported. This was particularly prominent among the elderly living alone. Although the familial support from the spouse or relatives had decreased, support by children had increased compared with the first survey. Elderly people had the same amount of contact with their neighbors and more elderly participated in community-based social associations compared with the survey of 3 year ago.3.The results of the present study suggest that increase in age end changing health status of the elderly do not always lead to decreases of social support and network, since both informal familial support by childen and formal and semi-formal network and support are provided more frequently for the elderly men and women at present than 3 year ago. Less