Can Japan’s Seniors Themselves Play an Effective Role in the Home Care Needs of Japan’s Elders? Robert C Marshall, Ph.D. Department of Anthropology Western Washington University

Japan’s Senior Co-operatives A network of hybrid co-operatives Of, by and for seniors In the context of: demographic change demographic change long term care for the elderly long term care for the elderly co-operatives businesses co-operatives businesses

Demographic Change in Japan 1947 Japanese men reached 50 years life expectancy for men, 84 for women 1998 > 65 = 16.2% births/couple 2007 Japan’s population will peak 2025 > 65 projected at 27.4%

Long Term Elder Care 2000: 50% live in three generation households 1993: 2 million elders needing LTC 2025: projected at 5.2 million 2000: kaigo hoken (national long term care service insurance) Caregiver shift from 35~55 toward 55~75 year old women (and few men) care to family members not reimbursed care to family members not reimbursed policy aimed to create businesses & jobs policy aimed to create businesses & jobs

Co-operatives Member owned and managed businesses For benefit of members Types of co-operative consumer (food, credit, housing, electricity) consumer (food, credit, housing, electricity) producer (marketing, branding, shipping and storage ) producer (marketing, branding, shipping and storage ) worker (jobs) worker (jobs)

Senior Co-ops: A Worker and Consumer Hybrid Co-op A. Organizational history 1995 first branch started in Mie Prefecture,150 members 2002 branches in 38 of 47 national administrative districts, > 100,000 members 2005 targets of 1,000,000 members 1,000,000 members a branch in each A.D. a branch in each A.D Kawasaki City branch: 350 members in three years.

B. Focus on the needs of the elderly for B. Focus on the needs of the elderly for paid work paid work home care/health related services home care/health related services community connections community connections

C. Members can both provide and receive services: $30 annual fee $50 to join fees for services vary, but are low pay is not as low, but not high

D. Home care services and senior co-ops D. Home care services and senior co-ops Home helper services offered from beginning Growing focus since April 2000 on national home care insurance (kaigo hoken) Offer courses leading to home helper certificates (grades 2 & 3, and coordinator) Collaborate with local government agencies Start, staff and manage home helper dispatch centers

E. Other member opportunities Transportation (therapy, dialysis) Nursing home assistance (feeding, bed changing) Tour and hobby groups (knitting, doll-making) Clothing re-tailoring (“ReForm” group) Home environment repair and renovation Social service group volunteers Fund raising organization Reading and discussion groups, newsletter publishing Lunches and dinners, both cooking and delivery Day-care centers for seniors Assisted living centers (only a few so far)

F. Social service component too F. Social service component too links provide members with a community meaningful, valuable activity (ikigai).

Further Reading Campbell, John C. and Naoki Ikegami “Long-Term-Care Insurance Comes to Japan.” Health Affairs 19:3 (May-June), Long, Susan O., ed Caring for the Elderly in Japan and the US: Practices and Policies. London and New York: Routledge. Marshall, Robert C Why Has an Expanding Movement of Worker Co-operatives Emerged in Japan among Middle Aged, Middle Class Housewives over the Past 15 Years? In: Paul Durrenberger and Judith Marti,eds., Labor in Anthropology (Society for Economic Anthropology, Vol. 22). AltaMira Press: Walnut Creek, CA. Chapter The Culture of Cooperation in Three Japanese Worker Co-operatives. Economic and Industrial Democracy 24(4): Nakano, Lynne Community Volunteers in Japan. London and New York: Routledge. Traphagan, John and John Knight, eds Demographic Change and the Family in Japan’s Aging Society. Albany: SUNY.