Many Elderly People in Japan Feel Isolated amid Virus Crisis

From Jiji Press

September 23 2020

TOKYO – About 70 pct of people aged 65 or older in Japan feel they have fewer opportunities to socialize with others or take part in community activities as they spend more time at home amid the new coronavirus epidemic, a recent private-sector survey showed. 

Many elderly people have not increased the frequency of going out even after the government fully lifted its state of emergency over the coronavirus in late May, causing adverse effects on their willingness to live, according to the survey.

“We need to watch out for a vicious cycle in which falls in mental and physical strength make it harder (for elderly people) to go out,” an expert said.

The online survey was conducted by Tokyo-based Whill Inc., which mainly sells mobility scooters, in early August, covering 600 people aged 65 or older.

According to the survey, the proportion of senior citizens who went out almost everyday in April-May this year, when the coronavirus emergency was in place, stood at 36.6 pct, down from 60.4 pct in August 2019. The percentage stood at 39.3 pct for August this year.