Promoting Support System for Home Care

Shuichi Obuchi, P.T., Ph.D.

Mio Ito, R.N., Ph.D.
Kazunori Kikuchi, C.S.W., M.A.
Yukie Masui, M.A.
Motonaga A. Kojima, P.T. C.S.W., Ph.D.

Long-term care insurance, care management, elderly abuse, oldest-old people, psychological adaptation, care for elderly with dementia, rehabilitation, community promotion

 Our research theme is aiming to explore measures to provide quality home care that implement the core perspectives of “support for older persons,” “support for caregivers,” and “support for the community”.

According to a national survey, 14,889 older adults were abused by their home care-givers. To eliminate such abuse, our research team developed a checklist of signs of home abuse or neglect for community living individuals. We also developed educational programs to support professionals working at community-based support centers and local governments. The research outcome was utilized in a brochure published by Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

To identify what care is adequate for old-old adults, we are also studying gerotranscendence, transformational personality development in a later phase of our lives. Despite the image of older age as characterized merely by decline, research has shown that psychological development occurs well into later life. Our project involves (a) developing an assessment tool to capture whether and how old-old adults experience gerotranscendence and (b) discovering environmental factors associated with the experience of gerotranscendence. By doing so, we seek to better understand the viewpoint of older adults including the types of care they need.

Our research interests are widely spreading, including rehabilitation, care for dementia patients, and community empowerment. We study each issue with our multi-disciplinary team.