Elderly Care Between the United States and Japan[1]
Elderly care between the United States and Japan
The difference between Japan and the United States and the care of the elderly is like night and day. The customs between the two cultures are separated by the differences in the respect for the elderly, what is considered acceptable care and how care is provided. These are just the surface of the cultural differences and the basics of elder care should be considered. This is only for care of a fairly healthy person that has just gotten older and needs help in day to day activities but not completely helpless, or hindered by dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. In Japan the elderly are considered a person of knowledge and is to be respected for that knowledge and experience. The elders are the center of the family group because of the life they have led has brought the family to where they are in life today. Usually the In-laws are brought into the family home when they can no longer care for themselves or considered to be infirmed due to illness or disease. The care given is usually done by the women in the house hold but the men, usually the oldest son, has become the primary care giver in recent years. SO Long, & PB Harris. (2000). This has been the the family unit for generations and continues to be to this very day. In the United states the Elderly or infirmed are looked upon as an Individual that has already lived a full life and seem to be pitied for living to be so old. They are not respected in the way the Japanese family do. They usually have to turn to retirement homes or what is called extended care facilities. This does create quite the financial burden and will usually drain any kind of savings they have. The facilities are not like a home with all the busy plans and schedules for the children or family events. The care given in these facilities are usually less than what most people, at that age, try to live at but it is all they can afford. In Japan the care that is provided in the home
The difference between Japan and the United States and the care of the elderly is like night and day. The customs between the two cultures are separated by the differences in the respect for the elderly, what is considered acceptable care and how care is provided. These are just the surface of the cultural differences and the basics of elder care should be considered. This is only for care of a fairly healthy person that has just gotten older and needs help in day to day activities but not completely helpless, or hindered by dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. In Japan the elderly are considered a person of knowledge and is to be respected for that knowledge and experience. The elders are the center of the family group because of the life they have led has brought the family to where they are in life today. Usually the In-laws are brought into the family home when they can no longer care for themselves or considered to be infirmed due to illness or disease. The care given is usually done by the women in the house hold but the men, usually the oldest son, has become the primary care giver in recent years. SO Long, & PB Harris. (2000). This has been the the family unit for generations and continues to be to this very day. In the United states the Elderly or infirmed are looked upon as an Individual that has already lived a full life and seem to be pitied for living to be so old. They are not respected in the way the Japanese family do. They usually have to turn to retirement homes or what is called extended care facilities. This does create quite the financial burden and will usually drain any kind of savings they have. The facilities are not like a home with all the busy plans and schedules for the children or family events. The care given in these facilities are usually less than what most people, at that age, try to live at but it is all they can afford. In Japan the care that is provided in the home
References: SO Long, & PB Harris. (2000). Gender and elder care: social change and the role of the caregiver in Japan. Social Science Japan Journal, 3(1), 21. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 407135091).