Efficacy of a program to address older adults' challenges of daily living after disasters.

CHI-squared test; COMPARATIVE studies; RESEARCH methodology; NATURAL disasters; QUALITY of life; STATISTICS; T-test (Statistics); DATA analysis; ACTIVITIES of daily living; EFFECT sizes (Statistics); EVALUATION of human services programs; FUNCTIONAL assessment; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; MANN Whitney U Test

After the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, providing support for older adults who continued to live in the affected areas has been a critical issue. We examined the effects of programs to address how challenges of daily living impact individuals' health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This was a 14 session, quasi-experiment trial that included 89 older adults aged 65 years or older who continued to live in the earthquake-affected areas. Participants were assigned to one of two programs: 48 older adults participated in the program "activities and participation", aimed at addressing the challenges of daily living such as loss of habits, meaning to live, social and domestic roles, and leisure; and 44 older adults participated in the program "body functions and structures", aimed at improving their physical functions. Differences between groups were assessed using chi-square tests, t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. The "activities and participation" program was effective in advancing participants' HRQOL (p <.01, effect size = 0.51). Further, it may lead to improved physical functions. This study indicates that, in a post-disaster response, it is effective to focus on challenges of daily living while considering the QOL of affected older adults. The program was useful in helping older adults affected by disasters to rebuild their lives as part of a disaster response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Educational Gerontology is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)