Tomorrow, I'm going to attend a meeting, and I'm going to say my comment. I don't know whether this comment suits to tomorrow's meeting or not, and this English is good or not, anyway I put my mind together.
Aging of population
To live our elder life calmly, there are two things, one is the things the government should do and the other one is the things we should do. Both of them have to go together smoothly.
Today, the theme is what our government should do, so I will think about the aging of population from one way.
Everybody must think that our government managed by our tax makes a firm commitment to give the place where we can live out our lives as a human. Hospitals, nursing houses, home care system, such facilities and system are necessary
Since “. Long-Term Care Insurance Act” kaigo hoken ho was established, about ten years passed. At that time many people looked forward to the possibility of the job, many people wanted to become a care worker, and some new schools were built. Some businessman quite the job and became care workers. Many housewives got the licence of the second grade care worker. But now, some schools are already under-enrolled. The number of care workers decreased sharply.
Why? Because the job is too hard, no, it’s not right. Everybody knows the job is really hard, but they want to work as a care worker. But unfortunately they can’t live their life from the job. They have lots of volunteer split, but they have to live. If they got high salary like doctors’, many people would be willing to do this job.
In this spring, the rate of nurse caring benefits is going to rise to 3 percent, but it will not lead to rise up their salary. Just they will be able to get from more 300 yen to 1000 yen.
On the other hand new government is going to pay 26000 yen a month child allowance. And they are going to offer high school class for free. Why it does’t work well for the salary of care workers to rise?
Today’s low birth rate is a big problem, I know, but not only to focus the kids but also living elder people and people who get elder in the future. When the kids grow up, they support the elder people, so the workplace to care elder people must be attractive place, the place people want to work.
Well, let me introduce one interesting facility. From this spring my mother-in-law has lived there. She lives in TOKYO alone. She has three sons, but they including us don’t live near. She is 80, fortunately she does’t become senile, she keeps good condition. But she was worried her single life. We were also worried about her daily life, for example she ate one OBENTOU she bought at a near by convenient store with two days. Suddenly a letter came to her, “You are accepted”. According to her she applied the facility to live there when she became 60. And 20 years passed, she got a letter.
The facility is supported by Tokyo city. The people who live there are that they own some property, they manage themselves, but they are worried about their single life, cooking, etc.
There, she has two or three meals at a big dining room with the residents, and nothing, she lives in her room with small kitchen, bathtub, like a small hotel. And now she used to the life in the facility, and makes many friends.
Families are also becoming more nuclear. It means elder people have to live alone or with a partner, surrounded by friend. Nobody can’t live without friends. So I’m glad she made new friends with out going out far away.
While families become more nuclear, elder people become alone. Until now, residents' association or elder people meeting works well. But recently young people don’t like such association they prefer personal activities, and the people who are in their 40’s and 50’s are too busy to keep such communication.
We don’t want to work while we are thinking about our death; we are drawing our attractive elder lives. So pension, facilities, saving money are necessary, on the other hand to keep communication and to have something to do with our resident’s association is necessary.
Now I live with my husband, and I really understand we must not depend on my kids.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
First, good for you to attempt to put together your thoughts on a complex subject in a second language. It is not easy!
Here is a new word for you..
CONUNDRUM. It means an intricate and difficult problem. And that is what you are describing as a problem throughout the world as the age of population increases. It is ironic that countries such as Japan, Italy and others are strongly encouraging families to have children whereas in Third World countries, such as in Africa, too many children are a major problem.
The question that your country, as well as America, is struggling with is the role or responsibility of government to assume the care for its elderly. If one accepts that it is a moral responsiblity of the government to care for its elderly (and I do not), then one has to also accept that the government regulates how much care, the quality of care, and for how long it continues.
CONUNDRUM, I also checked the meaning in Japanese. Thanks, I learned a new word.
It cannot be helped, anyway everybody gets old.
---and anyway I have to attend the meeting. I hope I can do it.
I am really impressed by your writing. Yes, this is a very difficult subject. Now I know why you looked tired when I saw you on this Tuesday. I would like to know how your speech went at the meeting.
Not only Japan but other developed counties face and will face many problems with an increasing life expectancy rate and a decreasing birth rate. Japan has a highest life expectancy for women, and that for men is also pretty high. But we can’t simply celebrate it. If Japanese government doesn’t have solid plans for this population shift, Japan will lose its power as a country and will be shrinking. I think this is a serious problem, and as you pointed out, we are already having the problems such as a lack of facilities and a lack of care workers. So you really touched the point. But…again, this is “conundrum” (thank you for letting me know a new word!).
I really admire you!!
By the way, thank you for sharing Yuzu. I squeezed Yuze on Yaki-sanma at the dinner last night. It smelled and tasted so good. I also cooked rice with chestnuts. We enjoyed autumn at dinner. Well, let eat well and have Healthy Aging. HF
Hisae san
Thanks for coming my blog again.
Well, In this blog, I know lots of mistakes, later I'll re-write it.
I mentioned a child allowance, it caused some discussion. A woman doesn't have kids though she is married. A woman is single.
They said "before giving a child allowance, they (our government) have to think about more foundmetal parts."
I understand their feeling.
For some families, a child allowance may help their life.
And for some family, it will be used to pay the cost of cram school. And I will be one of them to get some benefit because of increaseing my students.
Post a Comment