Evaluating a Community-Based Time Banking Intervention to Improve Social Well-Being, Healthcare Access, and Technology Acceptance Among Older Adults in Malaysia: A Pre–Post Study

Older adults face increasing challenges related to healthcare access, social isolation, and digital exclusion. Community-based interventions such as time banking offer a potential approach to addressing these interconnected needs. This study examined changes in social well-being, perceived healthcare access, and technology acceptance of a digital time banking platform following participation in a community-based intervention in Malaysia. A pre–post intervention study was conducted among 184 participants, including older adults, caregivers, volunteers, and community support personnel recruited from community centres in Perak, Malaysia. Following the six-month intervention, 145 participants completed the post-intervention assessment. Participant records were retrospectively matched across both assessments, resulting in 93 matched participants for the paired pre–post analysis. Paired-samples t-tests showed significant improvements in healthcare access, social participation and social well-being, and technology acceptance of time banking, with the largest improvement observed in technology acceptance. A total of 1812 service exchanges were completed, representing 2347 h of community-based support. These findings suggest that community-based time banking may support social participation, perceived healthcare access, and technology acceptance among participants. However, the absence of a control group means that the observed changes cannot be attributed solely to the intervention. Time banking may represent a feasible community-based approach for supporting healthy ageing and community engagement in Malaysia.