1st Edition

The Care of the Elderly in Japan

By Yongmei Wu Copyright 2004
    240 Pages
    by Routledge

    244 Pages
    by Routledge

    The problems of an ageing population are particularly acute in Japan. These problems include people living longer, with many needing more care, and the problems of supporting them by a diminishing working population and a diminishing tax base. This book, based on extensive fieldwork in a Japanese institution for the elderly, explores the whole issue of ageing and responses to it in Japan, and compares the Japanese approach in these matters with Western approaches. It discusses how people in Japan have changed their perceptions towards family responsibility, the institutionalization of the elderly, and rights of welfare. It also discusses how institutions for the elderly are run in Japan and how their management differs from that in the West.

    Series Editor's Preface Lists of Figures, Tables and Maps Foreword Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Notes on Language Convention and Style 1. Introduction 2. The Setting: Kotobuki 3. The Residents 4. The Staff 5. The Visitors 6. A Problematic Issue in Kotobuki: Conflicts 7. Beyond The Homes: Towards The LTCI System 8. Conclusions Appendix 1: The Mechanism of the LTCI Appendix 2: Physical Layout of Kotobuki (Each Floor) Notes Bibliography Index

    Biography

    Yongmei Wu is lecturer at the Beijing Centre of Japanese Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University. She received her PhD in Japanese Studies from the University of Hong Kong. She was a research fellow at the Japan College of Social Work and a visiting researcher in the University of Tokyo. Her research interests include Cross-Cultural Aging Research in Japan and China, Asian Welfare Models, Gender and Family.