Models of Elderly Care in Japan and The Netherlands: Social Quality Perspectives

Abstract

Th is article argues that the social quality approach can be usefully applied to studying "models of elderly care" that enhance the wellbeing of the elderly and empower them to participate in social activities. Examining three cases in Japan and another three cases in Th e Netherlands, the study identifi es actors, institutions and processes that have provided services for the elderly, highlighting the importance of history and culture in infl uencing the "social" of the elderly. Th e article deals with a range of opportunities and possibilities for optimizing care for the elderly, both as individuals and as a group, through promoting their social inclusion, social cohesion, socio-economic security and social empowerment. Grounded in community networks, as well as in social and intergenerational interaction, these "models" demonstrate how care-givers, including nurses and family members, are also empowered in these processes. Th ese discussions, refl ecting empirical reality and conceptual insights, provide the basis of sustainable welfare policies that improve the social quality of the elderly. 75 "aged" and even " hyper-aged" societies in the twenty-fi rst century. Th e percentage of those eighty-fi ve or older is expected to double from 4.9 per cent in 2010 to 9.3 per cent in 2040. For instance, Th e Netherlands is an "aged society" with over 15.5 per cent of the population being over sixty-fi ve in 2010, while Japan reached the hyperaged status in 2009 with 22.7 per cent of the population being over sixty-fi ve years. At the same time, women, who have traditionally looked after the elderly in households, have increasingly taken up paid work, causing strains on this customary practice. As reported, women's employment in Th e Netherlands has increased from 34.2 per cent to 70.6 per cent between 1980 and 2009, while it has moved up from 51.4 per cent to 59.8 per cent in Japan over the same period.Under these circumstances, there were more elderly who lived on their own, and who were placed in care institutions, often isolated and alienated from society. On the other hand, new and creative ways of elderly care were also developed to counter these problems while enabling the elderly to improve their lives. Th is article examines six such experiments with elderly care that involved cooperation between relevant public and private institutions, networks and voluntary groups. Th e six cases were chosen on the bases of research, interviews with relevant public servants and care providers who viewed them as important "models" of elderly care. In all these cases priority was given to improving the quality of the participation of the elderly in their communities and thereby empowering them to be involved actively in the ageing process.

La mise en abyme d’un projet intergénérationnel de recherche: Un comité intergénérationnel comme processus et sujet de recherche

“…Les relations sociales et les expériences collectives sont présentées comme les assises au développement de l'empowerment, cela dans différents contextes (Graffigna, Barello, Riva, et Bosio, 2014;Sixsmith et Boneham, 2003). Tel qu'en font état Kurian et Uchiyama (2012) dans le cadre de projet sur l'empowerment chez les personnes aînées, ce sont les relations sociales qui ont favorisé leur réalisation de soi. Il est aussi intéressant de souligner que, non seulement l'empowerment semble se développer plus favorablement à travers les relations sociales, il a aussi été démontré que celui-ci favorise à son tour davantage d'implication sociale de la part des aînés (Rawsthorne, Ellis, et de Pree, 2017).…”