Does It Matter Who Cares? A Comparison of Daughters versus Daughters-in-Law in Japanese Elder Care

The “Costs” of informal care: an analysis of the impact of elderly care on caregivers’ subjective well-being in Japan

“…There are currently two levels for those who require support only (Support Levels 1 and 2) and five levels for those who require long-term care (Care Levels 1-5 In response to the popularity and wide acceptance of the LTCI system in Japan, there have been a number of empirical studies that examine the impact of the introduction of the LTCI system on the provision of informal elderly care in the country. Although the universal coverage of the LTCI system has replaced previous stigmatized means-tested long-term care services (Tsutsui and Muramatsu, 2005), some studies find that informal care by adult children continues to be the most common source of caregiving for elderly parents in Japan (Hanaoka and Norton, 2008;Long, Campbell and Nishimura, 2009). Hanaoka and Norton (2008), for instance, find that the presence of adult children acts as a substitute for formal long-term care and that such an effect is found to be strongest for uneducated unmarried daughters.…”

A gap in formal long-term care use related to characteristics of caregivers and households, under the public universal system in Japan: 2001–2010

“…They were also the most frequent users of daycare and respite short-stay services, even after adjusting for recipients' conditions [31]. Male caregivers with less housekeeping capacity tend to use housekeeping aids as a formal substitution for informal homemaking [32][33][34].…”

Lost and Found: Memory Loss and the Resilient Caregiver Portrayed in Japanese Films

“…Spouses are now the most common caregivers but daughters-in-law still represent 20% of all caregivers and 30% of all co-resident caregivers (Long, Campbell, & Nishimura, 2009). Young women contemplating marriage, especially to an elder son, are very aware that they will probably have to cope with caregiving responsibilities in the future.…”

“…The phrase reflects growing consciousness of the burden of caregiving which was a key reason why so many Japanese supported the passage of long-term care legislation, despite imposition of a new premium payment. Still, in 2006, more than 40% of people over age 65 lived with their children (this percentage increases with age), and the continuity of family care by spouses and children persists (Long, Campbell, & Nishimura, 2009). …”