Japan's Elderly Care: What We Learn From Them

The Japanese are known to have the utmost respect for its senior citizens. Elderly relatives in Japan are usually taken care off by their close family members (often their children), and this cultural behaviour is embodied in the country's welfare system.

Japan has the world's oldest population in the world. Figures from 2016 show that those who are over the age of 65 in Japan make up 26.5% of the population. In comparison to the UK, the over-65 demographic make up 18.4% of the population. 

With ministers due to publish a green paper on social care that is to include funding proposals, The Nuffield Trust have stated that are lessons to learned from the elderly care system used in Japan.

The Current State of Elderly Care in the UK

The media have criticised the elderly care sector for the following reasons:

Short-term thinking: Many of the policies in place for social care are rather short term. For instance, budgets for social care have been cut to protect the NHS budget. As a result, elderly patients who have no medical need are stuck at a hospital because they are unable to get support at home.  

Postcode lottery: The UK's funding for social care is also entirely dependant on where you live, and it is for reasons which are not wholly known. This puts many older people at a disadvantage. 

Budget Cuts: As mentioned earlier, the budget cuts has led to staff shortages, putting more pressure on social care workers.

Ageing Population: Despite the fact that Japan has a higher ageing population than the UK, both the NHS and the social care sector are facing increasing demands but are struggling due to lack of funding and resources.

Loneliness: Figures from AgeUK show 3.6 million seniors in the UK live alone, with 1.9 million older adults feel isolated. Loneliness in the elderly is a significant issue in the UK, since it can lead to mental and physical health implications.

Lifestyle factors: Though not directly related, lifestyle choices of those who take part in unhealthy activities such as binge-drinking, smoking, poor diet and not enough exercise can put more pressure on our NHS, leading to lesser funding in social care.

What Can We Learn From Japan?

The UK's social care is not in the best shape, so what do the Japanese do differently?

In 2000, Japan introduced long-term care insurance that was compulsory to everyone over the age of 40. The funding from these insurance payments helps to care for those who are over the age of 65. The scheme is open to all and avoids the postcode lottery scenario that we see in England.

Since people in Japan are paying for long-term care from the age of 40 on a mandatory basis, funding is not a major issue. If you take a look at Japanese elderly care, we see their elderly attending free lunch clubs, tai chi classes and workshops. But more importantly, the scheme created informal networks and introduced measures to prevent loneliness.

There are even centres for dementia which organises activities like origami, baking, pottery, woodwork and even a spot of nail painting.

This long-term approach to elderly care is such a stark contrast to the short-term policies that we see in Britain.

But the question remains…

Can We Afford A Compulsory Long-Term Care Insurance?

If the UK introduces this type of scheme, we would undoubtedly see improvements. And it will ease the pressure on the UK government to fund for better social care. But can we afford it?

People who are in the 25 to 35 age bracket have not even thought about their pension. Many can't even afford to put a deposit on a house due to rising house prices. And with so much uncertainty surrounding the UK's impending exit from the EU, I dare to think that we might not be able to.

But if we can spend responsibly, make sensible lifestyle choices and possibly make an effort to look after our elderly relatives, then we could see the same elderly care that we see in Japan.

What are your thoughts on the elderly care sector in the UK? And do you think we could adopt a Japanese-style welfare system? Please let us know of your thoughts in the comments section below.

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