Japan Press Weekly

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2014 September 24 - 30 TOP3 [WELFARE]

Gov’t should take measures to handle responsibly people with dementia

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

A health and welfare ministry survey found that the number of unidentified persons taken into protective custody at welfare facilities or hospitals, as of the end of May, came to 346 and that 35 of them have dementia.

Last year, 5,201 persons with dementia were reported to the police as disappeared. Of them, 132 persons are still missing.

People with dementia sometimes disappear when they go out for walk or when family caregivers take their eyes off them. Therefore, it is not that easy for family members to take care of their demented relative only on their own.

The government should fulfill its responsibility to reduce the family caregiver’s burden, and not leave the issue to local governments and individual families. However, what the Abe-led administration intends to do is carry out a further adverse revision of the public nursing-care system.

The government seeks to increase nursing-care service charges and set stricter requirements for admission to special nursing-care homes, bringing about further burdens onto family caregivers.

To slow the progress and stabilize the behavior of people with dementia, early treatment is very important. Despite this need, the government is planning to exclude elderly persons who need what the government claims “a little help” in their daily lives from their needed assistance and force them to make “self-help self-care” efforts.

It is irresponsible and therefore unacceptable to implement such an adverse revision as it imposes personal responsibility only on the elderly and family members.

Past related articles:
> Caring for elderly with dementia only by family members has limitations
[April 28, 2014]
> ‘Revision’ of nursing care insurance program will force more workers to quit their jobs [June 17, 2014]
> Bills stripping the elderly of access to necessary care rammed through Lower House [May 15 & 16, 2014]