Caring for elderly with dementia only by family members has limitations
April 28, 2014
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2014 April 23 - May 6 [POLITICS]
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A recently-delivered court judgment has shocked family members of persons with dementia.
In 2007 in Aichi Prefecture, a 91-year-old man suffering from dementia died after being hit by a JR Tokai train while he was wandering along the tracks. The railway company then sued his family members to seek compensation for damages caused by the accident. Both the first and the second trials ordered his wife, aged 85 at that time and already in need of nursing care, to pay compensation. She is 91 years of age now.
Families caring for aged members despairingly say: It’s impossible to look after the aged for 24 hours. Should we lock them up in the room forever? We can no longer endure the burden of at-home care.
It is physically and emotionally burdensome for families to take care of their elderly members with dementia who are also prone to wandering around. Cases in which an aged spouse or an aged child gives care to the aged partner or the aged parents are especially serious. Many such family caretakers feel isolated in their communities.
Currently, the House of Representatives is discussing a package of bills submitted in line with the Abe government’s policy of personal responsibilities for social welfare. These bills in regard to medical-care and nursing-care services are calling for tighter requirements for admission to special nursing-care homes. With such a system, more and more elderly persons with dementia will have nowhere to go.
About 9,000 people per year go missing in Japan because of wandering tendencies. More than 100 demented people while wandering about were killed in train accidents in the past eight years.
The national government, municipalities, and train operators should work together to grasp the situation and immediately implement safety measures. At the same time, the need is to create a structure in order for residents, administrative bodies, and private entities to participate in elderly-friendly community building.
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