Before conducting the interview, a face sheet was used to enquire about the participants’ age, current use of ADC, and history of using ADC. Subsequently, a semi-structured individual interview was conducted using an interview guide. Each interview lasted approximately 60 minutes. Since the interviews were conducted slowly to ensure participants’ comfort, they were conducted twice (if possible), with an interval of at least 1 week.
The following questions were included in the interview guide: (1) how the interviewee spent their day at the day-care center; (2) what they thought of the others (users and staff) at the center; (3) what kind of relationships they had with the others.
The data were collected from October 2020 to August 2022. The interviews were recorded, and transcripts were verbatim for analysis. The interviewees’ tone of voice and facial expressions were also referenced as data. Two researchers were present during the interviews. The first author conducted the interview and the second one observed the first, ensured proper ventilation, set up panels for infection control, and monitored the participants’ physical condition. To ensure the quality of the interview data, we employed the following strategies. Interviews were conducted in a room where privacy is protected. After informing them that they would not be seen by anyone other than the researcher, the audio was recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interviews were conducted according to an interview guide. When possible, we interviewed twice in order to get them to reveal their true feelings about their interactions with others. Prior to the interviews, we arranged a casual chat time with the participants to make them feeling safe and comfortable. Soon after each interview, the voice data were reviewed for recording error check.
Besides the interviews, the first and second authors observed the day care rooms of each participating agency for an hour with the administrator’s permission. The purpose was to observe the participants and the people around them. However, they were careful not to record personal information other than those associated with the study participants. The observations were recorded as field notes and used for analysis. Observers stayed at ADCs and participated in ADC practices, taking a few unstructured notes. Observers noted participants’ behavior as they interacted with other people. Furthermore, ADC staff were interviewed about the participants’ usual behavior and how they distinguished between clients. All comments were included in the field notes.
Each older adult was considered one unit for data collection and analysis. We interviewed and observed the participants’ experiences within the ADC at the time of the interview and did not include longitudinal changes within the research period.
The following questions were included in the interview guide: (1) how the interviewee spent their day at the day-care center; (2) what they thought of the others (users and staff) at the center; (3) what kind of relationships they had with the others.
The data were collected from October 2020 to August 2022. The interviews were recorded, and transcripts were verbatim for analysis. The interviewees’ tone of voice and facial expressions were also referenced as data. Two researchers were present during the interviews. The first author conducted the interview and the second one observed the first, ensured proper ventilation, set up panels for infection control, and monitored the participants’ physical condition. To ensure the quality of the interview data, we employed the following strategies. Interviews were conducted in a room where privacy is protected. After informing them that they would not be seen by anyone other than the researcher, the audio was recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interviews were conducted according to an interview guide. When possible, we interviewed twice in order to get them to reveal their true feelings about their interactions with others. Prior to the interviews, we arranged a casual chat time with the participants to make them feeling safe and comfortable. Soon after each interview, the voice data were reviewed for recording error check.
Besides the interviews, the first and second authors observed the day care rooms of each participating agency for an hour with the administrator’s permission. The purpose was to observe the participants and the people around them. However, they were careful not to record personal information other than those associated with the study participants. The observations were recorded as field notes and used for analysis. Observers stayed at ADCs and participated in ADC practices, taking a few unstructured notes. Observers noted participants’ behavior as they interacted with other people. Furthermore, ADC staff were interviewed about the participants’ usual behavior and how they distinguished between clients. All comments were included in the field notes.
Each older adult was considered one unit for data collection and analysis. We interviewed and observed the participants’ experiences within the ADC at the time of the interview and did not include longitudinal changes within the research period.
