Program Penguatan Peran Sosial Lansia dan Janda Melalui Pendampingan Berbasis Komunitas di Dusun Mekar Sari, Kecamatan Gunungpati

Abstract

The elderly and widows constitute a demographic group susceptible to social, psychosocial, and economic vulnerabilities arising from physical changes, the loss of a spouse, limited resources, and reduced opportunities for social interaction. This Community Service (PkM) initiative aims to strengthen the social roles of the elderly and widows through community-based support in Mekar Sari Hamlet, Gunungpati District. The activity involved 45 participants, comprising both elderly individuals and widows. The implementation employed a participatory approach involving needs assessment, social and psychosocial education, focus group discussions, individual and group mentoring, and the strengthening of social networks in collaboration with community leaders and local volunteers. The results demonstrated a positive response from participants, active engagement in educational sessions and discussions, an improved understanding of the importance of social roles, and the development of self-confidence and mutual support among participants. Activity documentation captures the educational processes, group interactions, and participant mentoring. To enhance program evaluation, this revised article also includes a draft instrument for measuring participant satisfaction. However, fictitious satisfaction statistics have not been included, as the summarized questionnaire data were not available in the original source materials.