A survey by an incorporated foundation under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare found that one-fourth of home helpers and others working at home-visit nursing care sites are over the age of 65.

This survey is conducted every year by the foundation "Nursing Care Labor Stabilization Center" under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and last year (2021) we received responses from approximately 8,500 business establishments nationwide.



According to this, out of the more than 155,000 people working at the office, 21,342 were over the age of 65, accounting for 13.7% of the total.



This is an increase of 1.4 points from the previous survey (FY2020).



Looking at the percentage of people aged 65 and over by occupation, physical therapists and occupational therapists accounted for 1.7%, while home helpers and other home-visit caregivers accounted for the highest at 25.4%.



On the other hand, among those working in nursing care jobs, those who answered that they had health concerns such as infectious diseases such as the new coronavirus and injuries increased by 7.6 points from last year to 28.1%.



The survey revealed that home-visit nursing care workers, who have been pointed out to have a particularly serious labor shortage among nursing care workers, are supported by elderly helpers who are worried about their health.

At home-visit nursing care sites where aging is progressing...

Misako Araki, who has been working as a home helper in Kita Ward, Tokyo for 11 years, obtained a qualification in her 50s as a job that allows her to work for a long time.



She turned 69 this year, but she still does 5 to 7 home visits a day, 6 days a week.



Despite her health concerns and declining physical strength, I find her work as a home-visit caregiver very rewarding.



Araki said, "Both the user and myself are old, so it would be difficult if she were infected with the new coronavirus, but if she is healthy, there is no retirement age, so she can work thin and long. I hope so,” she says.



At the home-visit nursing care office to which Mr. Araki belongs, 8 out of 15 home helpers are over 65 years old.



According to the office, while experienced elderly helpers like Ms. Araki are ready to work, the reality is that there are almost no applications from the younger generation even if she is recruited.



She further said that recently she has been receiving more requests for home-visit nursing care from people who have been unable to use the facility she used to attend due to the cluster of new coronaviruses, and she is concerned about future business continuity at the office. I am getting excited.



Kayoko Kurosawa, a staff member, said, ``Some of the helpers over the age of 65 have back pain or are taking medicine for their chronic diseases. Currently, we are doing it while holding it, and we would like to work on it, including human resource development, so that the younger generation will also choose home-visit nursing care."

Expert ``Public and private sectors need to consider raising long-term care fees, etc.''

Tatsuaki Takano, an associate professor at Toyo University who analyzed the results of the survey, explained why there is a large percentage of people aged 65 and over in home-visit nursing care sites, saying, "Home-visit nursing care pays only for the amount of time spent visiting. Because they don't do it, their income tends to be lower than other nursing care services, making it difficult for young people who want to make a living from nursing care to choose it."



On top of that, he said, ``The government is promoting comprehensive community care so that the elderly can continue to live in familiar areas, but if it becomes difficult to secure human resources, there is a risk that support will not be possible. We need to consider what to do," he said.