AUTHOR=Abe Toshiki , Saito Hiroaki , Moriyama Nobuaki , Ito Naomi , Takita Morihito , Kinoshita Yuri , Ozaki Akihiko , Nishikawa Yoshitaka , Yamamoto Chika , Zhao Tianchen , Sato Mika , Tsubokura Masaharu 

TITLE=Idobata-Nagaya: a community housing solution for socially isolated older adults following the great East Japan earthquake

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1289552

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1289552

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Following the Great East Japan Earthquake, the living environment of socially isolated older adults has become a pressing concern. In response, <italic>Nagaya</italic>, a collective housing program, was established in Soma City, Fukushima, Japan to address social isolation among older adults and support their long-term health. This study aimed to identify characteristics of individuals in Nagaya and examine the sustainability of this initiative.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>We conducted a retrospective analysis of residents who were relocated to <italic>Nagaya</italic>, emphasizing their characteristics, the continuity of their stay in <italic>Nagaya</italic>, and their care certification levels, using data up to December 31, 2022. We employed Kaplan–Meier curves to analyze the duration for which residents continued to reside in <italic>Nagaya</italic> and the time leading up to the requiring care-level certification.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Of 65 people who moved to <italic>Nagaya</italic> after the disaster, 30 people (46.2%) continued to live there, 21 (32.3%) died during their stay, and 14 (21.5%) moved out. The overall duration of occupancy averaged 6.39 years (SD 3.83 years). The proportion of requiring care-level certification occurrences per person-year was 0.0577 for those without care certification and 0.3358 for those with requiring support level at the time of moving in.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>In summary, <italic>Nagaya</italic>-style communal housing may offer suitable living environments for older adults with diverse needs during disasters and serve as a valuable tool for developing public policies in aging societies.</p></sec>