## 5 Conclusions  
This study empirically analyzed whether differences exist in older adults' motivations for using senior citizen centers based on the type of eldercare system, focusing on senior citizen centers in Yeongdo-gu, Busan, South Korea. The psychological, social, and health-related motivations of older adults using senior citizen centers were investigated using a survey, and the associations between key variables and eldercare system types were confirmed through multiple regression analysis. The main findings are as follows. First, regarding the age group of older adults using senior citizen centers, those aged 65-69 were the primary users. Institutional care was the least common type of eldercare system chosen, and the majority of older adults visited senior citizen centers 1-2 times per week. Although senior centers are accessible to both members and non-members, most older adults involved in this study were registered as members. This indicates that older adults generally have a positive attitude toward the role and functions of senior citizen centers regardless of the type of eldercare system. Second, among the three eldercare system types, community and institutional care play a crucial role in promoting community connections and interactions among older adults. Those who chose these eldercare system types tended to combat isolation through active social engagement. In contrast, the motivations of those who opted for home-based care appeared to be influenced by a combination of factors. Furthermore, older adults who selected community-based and institutional care systems were more likely to value intergenerational interaction and social contribution by realizing personal values. Third, older adults who chose community-based care expressed a strong need for physical activity and health promotion programs, whereas those who preferred home-based care were more interested in maintaining independent living and health. The motivation for maintaining physical health was not significant in institutional care, which may indicate that health care services are already adequately provided in those settings. Moreover, older adults who opted for home-based care considered emotional stability and support essential factors and tended to maintain psychological stability. Hence, there is a need for counseling programs to enhance emotional support for those in home-based care and strengthen communication among family members. Participation in cultural activities was significant across all eldercare system types, demonstrating that senior citizen centers play an important role not only as places for leisure activities but also as spaces that provide cultural experiences and opportunities to participate in cultural activities. This study has limitations owing to its survey-based design, which restricts in-depth exploration of the emotional and psychological experiences of people using senior citizen centers. The lack of discussion on practical operational improvements is another limitation as the perspectives of senior center operators and policymakers were not included. Therefore, future research should analyze the relationship between policies and people'smotivations for using senior citizen centers to propose ways to enhance the efficiency of welfare policies. In particular, follow-up studies are needed to provide empirical data for designing customized policies for each eldercare system type. Conceptualization, X.Z. and H.L. ; investigation, X.Z., E.-s.P. and J.Z. ; methodology, X.Z., E.-s.P., J.Z., J.K. and H.L. ; writing--original draft preparation, X.Z. ; writing--review and editing, S.-Y.L. and J.K.; supervision, H.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2024S1A5C3A01042885). Not applicable. The original contributions presented in this study are included in this article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.