International Journal of Clinical Case Reports, 2025, Vol.15, No.2, 68-78 http://medscipublisher.com/index.php/ijccr 68 Research Insight Open Access A Study on the Impact of Community Home-based Care on the Mental Health of Elderly Individuals Living Alone Mingzi Huang1*, Leiming Shen2*,Wei Shi 3, Yeli Huang4 1 Outpatient Department of LLQ, Southern Medical Branch of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 10039, Beijing, China 2 Northern Medical Branch of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 10039, Beijing, China 3 Southern Medical Branch of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 10039, Beijing, China 4 The Sixth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 10039, Beijing, China * These authors contributed equally to this work Corresponding author: huangyeli88@163.com International Journal of Clinical Case Reports 2025, Vol.15, No.2 doi: 10.5376/ijccr.2025.15.0008 Received: 03 Feb., 2025 Accepted: 07 Mar., 2025 Published: 31 Mar., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Huang et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Huang M.Z., Shen L.M., Shi W., and Huang Y.L., 2025, A study on the impact of community home-based care on the mental health of elderly individuals living alone, International Journal of Clinical Case Reports, 15(2): 68-78 (doi: 10.5376/ijccr.2025.15.0008) Abstract This study explores the effects of community home care on the mental health of the elderly living alone, focusing on its effects in reducing depression, loneliness and improving life satisfaction. Through a care intervention experiment involving elderly individuals living alone within a community, the study employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to assess specific community-based home care interventions and their effects on mental health improvement. The results indicate that community-based home care can effectively reduce depressive symptoms, decrease feelings of loneliness, and significantly enhance life satisfaction among elderly individuals living alone. Furthermore, factors such as the frequency of care services, professional training of caregivers, social support, and cultural influences significantly impact the effectiveness of care. This study underscores community-based home care as a vital means of mental health support for elderly individuals living alone and suggests enhancements in caregiver training, increased emotional support, and social activities. This study further explores the applicability and long-term mechanisms of community home care in different cultural backgrounds, and provides a more comprehensive help for the mental health and quality of life of the elderly living alone. Keywords Elderly individuals living alone; Community-based home care; Mental health; Depression; Loneliness 1 Introduction The global trend of aging is accelerating, and the shifting population structure profoundly impacts various aspects of society. With increased life expectancy and changing family structures, more elderly individuals are choosing or are compelled to live alone. Recent statistics indicate that elderly individuals living alone face significant mental health issues, such as increased loneliness, worsened depressive symptoms, and reduced life satisfaction. These issues not only affect the daily quality of life of elderly individuals living alone but also increase the burden on healthcare systems (Wang et al., 2022). Community-based home care, a comprehensive health and social service model supported by the community, aims to help the elderly-especially those living alone-access necessary health support and emotional care within a familiar community environment. This model provides personalized care services to promote mental health and social engagement, thus enhancing the quality of life for the elderly. Specifically, community-based home care services may include regular nurse visits, mental health counseling, social activity arrangements, and assistance with daily living, which can help reduce loneliness among elderly individuals living alone, strengthen their social support network, and improve their mental health (Wong and Wong, 2020). Numerous studies demonstrate a significant relationship between elderly independence and mental health. Elderly individuals who receive timely health support and social interaction within their communities often exhibit better mental health than those in nursing homes or lacking support. Ko et al. (2019) pointed out that home care services help elderly individuals maintain an independent lifestyle, which positively impacts their mental health. Additionally, factors like gender, economic status, and health condition influence elderly individuals' needs and responses to home care services. For example, elderly women living alone often require more assistance with
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