JAPANESE OLDER ADULTS’ EXPERIENCES FROM EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMI

摘要

Japan has the highest proportion of older adults relative to other developed nations. This demographic change results in serious concerns about the economic impacts and the abilities of social service agencies to meet the growing needs of older adults. Japan has experienced numerous natual disasters during the past decade. Older adults have not only constituted a high proportion of casualities during each event, but disaster-triggered illnesses have disproportionately affected this subgroup during the recovery phase. This presentation will discuss lessons learned from Japan’s experiences, focusing on physical and mental health, issues concerning evacuation centers, temporary shelter housing, and public reconstruction housing, as well as changing living arrangements such as declining multi-generation households. We will also discuss care for people with dementia, people living in isolation, lack of traditional family support, and Kodokushi (dying alone), with decent Japanese society’s transitional emphasis from family responsibility to neighbourhood and community.