Building Social Connectedness and Active Aging in Community Settings: Evaluating a Lottery-Funded Program for Older Adults in Taiwan Region

This study evaluates a neighborhood-based community initiative funded by public welfare lottery profits in Taiwan Region, designed to promote active aging, strengthen social connectedness, and enhance well-being among older adults. Adopting a qualitative-dominant single-case study design, with multiple program cycles from March to October 2025 treated as one embedded case to enable in-depth process tracing of mechanisms rather than statistical generalization, the research synthesized data from project proposals, results reports, attendance records, pre-post learning-efficacy questionnaires, satisfaction surveys, open-ended feedback, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews. The program engaged 40 community-dwelling older adults who collectively generated 1175 person-times of participation across 75 sessions in six learning modules focusing on exercise and health, spiritual life, technology and lifestyle, social participation, local culture, and travel learning. Key quantitative outcomes included a 95% average attendance rate and a mean satisfaction score of 4.6 on a 5-point Likert scale, with 94% rating the program as very satisfying. Drawing on the World Health Organization’s active aging framework, healthy aging perspectives, and social capital theory, thematic analysis revealed enhanced participant confidence, reduced loneliness, stronger neighbor relationships, psychological safety, peer learning, and the formation of a self-organized learning group that continued beyond the funding period. Limitations include the single-site design, non-probability sampling, the researcher’s dual role as organizer/lecturer/observer, use of self-developed instruments, and absence of a control group or long-term follow-up. The results demonstrate the potential of lottery-funded NGO-private community partnerships to generate meaningful social impact by channeling public resources into innovative, community-led programs for older adults. Findings highlight how low-barrier, neighborhood-embedded activities can mobilize local communities as sustainable human resources in super-aged societies.