Tokyo postmen check on elderly who live alone
Source: Agencies |
August 4, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
JAPAN'S rapidly ageing society, where almost one in four people is over 65, means that more elderly are living alone every year - and also, sadly, dying alone, their bodies sometimes undiscovered for days.
But now, local authorities are teaming up with groups such as the post office to check on senior citizens, increasing their human contact.
Tokyo's Shinagawa ward, where last year at least 25 elderly died alone in their homes, this month began an initiative with Japan Post in which postmen check up on people over 65 once a month by handing them seasonal greeting cards.
"We hope to strengthen ties within the community," said Akihiro Hara, a Shinagawa welfare official.
The experimental program calls on postmen to make sure nothing is amiss when they visit the homes of the elderly and contact a center at the ward office if something is wrong. That office will in turn contact hospitals and welfare officials if needed.
Lonely elderly are an increasingly urgent social problem.
Last year, 4.6 million elderly were living alone in Japan. The number of those who died at home rose 61 percent between 2003 and 2010, from 1,364 to 2,194, according to the Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health in Tokyo.
A deep-seated Japanese reluctance to interfere in the lives of others means some of these people may go days without talking to anybody.
Another problem is a drift away from traditions of respect for the elderly and Japan's once tightly-knit community bonds, resulting in increasing isolation, experts said.
"In some ways, this has merits, because we can be free and independent. The downside, though, is that we ignore each other," said social commentator Tomoko Inukai.
"One terrible characteristic of Japanese society is that we treat our elderly like they're lifeless animals."
Initiatives elsewhere include seniors and single mothers sharing homes and a meal delivery scheme where staff check on elderly residents.
In the end, the simplest solution may just be trying to reach out, Inukai said.
"An enormous flaw in Japanese society is that we don't look each other in the eye when we walk in the streets. We need to re-think the Japanese fear of interacting."
But now, local authorities are teaming up with groups such as the post office to check on senior citizens, increasing their human contact.
Tokyo's Shinagawa ward, where last year at least 25 elderly died alone in their homes, this month began an initiative with Japan Post in which postmen check up on people over 65 once a month by handing them seasonal greeting cards.
"We hope to strengthen ties within the community," said Akihiro Hara, a Shinagawa welfare official.
The experimental program calls on postmen to make sure nothing is amiss when they visit the homes of the elderly and contact a center at the ward office if something is wrong. That office will in turn contact hospitals and welfare officials if needed.
Lonely elderly are an increasingly urgent social problem.
Last year, 4.6 million elderly were living alone in Japan. The number of those who died at home rose 61 percent between 2003 and 2010, from 1,364 to 2,194, according to the Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health in Tokyo.
A deep-seated Japanese reluctance to interfere in the lives of others means some of these people may go days without talking to anybody.
Another problem is a drift away from traditions of respect for the elderly and Japan's once tightly-knit community bonds, resulting in increasing isolation, experts said.
"In some ways, this has merits, because we can be free and independent. The downside, though, is that we ignore each other," said social commentator Tomoko Inukai.
"One terrible characteristic of Japanese society is that we treat our elderly like they're lifeless animals."
Initiatives elsewhere include seniors and single mothers sharing homes and a meal delivery scheme where staff check on elderly residents.
In the end, the simplest solution may just be trying to reach out, Inukai said.
"An enormous flaw in Japanese society is that we don't look each other in the eye when we walk in the streets. We need to re-think the Japanese fear of interacting."
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