Buidling a Caregiver Workforce in Japan

To help meet the growing demands of an ageing population, Japan is looking beyond its borders for qualified caregivers.  In an arrangement with the Philippine government, Japan hopes to find 1,000 qualified health workers over the next two years.  Free language classes are offered to applicants who complete the first 10 steps of the application process.  This helps prepare them to take the licensure examination in Japanese.  This program is one of the highlights on the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement which went into effect last December.  Its a mutually beneficial arrangement that gives an opportunity to people in the Philippines and ensures that the needs of Japan’s elderly are being met.  A great example of positive international collaboration!

The Changing Face of Caregiving

It appears that caregiving is no longer just a woman’s job.  According to the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Alliance for Caregiving, men are stepping up and taking responsibility for the care of the elderly and children. In fact, men now make up 40 percent of family-care providers – up from 19 percent in a 1996 study. And about 17 million men are specifically taking care of an older adult.  Unfortunatley, men still feel some conflict between caregiving and breadwinning.  In a survey of Furtune 500 companies it was found that men were less likely to use employee-assistance programs because they feared that their need would be held against them.  It’s important that we supoprt caregivers and reassure them that the services they are providing to family, friends and neighbors is valued and respected – no matter who is doing the caring.

The True Value of Caregivers

A new study released by the AARP Public Policy Institute shed more light on the economic value of caregivers in the United States.  There are an estimated 34 million Americans who are caregivers.  They are typically middle-aged married women who are employed and are looking after a widowed mother. Thier careviging services are valued at US$ 10.10 an hour which total US$ 375 billion in unpaid services!

The benefit these caregivers provide to society can not be totalled up in dollars and cents. Can you really put a price tag on love, comfort, and caring? As Jane Gross writes “the rewards for the caregiver are considerable: Your mother is less likely to wind up in a nursing home or avoid it longer because of your ministrations. She’s also less likely to wind up in the hospital with an illness or injury, because you’re keeping an eye on things. And she’s less likely to be re-admitted after a hospitalization, which these days are so short that the elderly need lots of attention when they get home.”

Family Caregiver Burdens

Caring for an ageing parent or spouse can be challenging, both physically and mentally. And now a study to be released today shows that, in the US, it is also financially draining.

According to an article in the New York Times, the study shows that the out-of-pocket cost for family caregivers averages about US$5,500 per year, a sum that is more than double previous estimates and more than the average American household spends annually on health care and entertainment combined. The study, entitled ‘Family Caregivers: What They Spend, What They Sacrifice”, was conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving and Evercare, a division of the UnitedHealth Group.

Significant findings from the study include:

• The most common expenses for caregivers are household goods and food, transportation, medical co-payments and pharmaceuticals, clothing and home repair and maintenance.
• The most common strategy for covering these costs is cutting back on discretionary spending.
• Other strategies involve caregivers compromising their own retirement; taking from savings accounts, cutting back on saving for the future and neglecting personal health care.
• The highest out-of-pocket costs were incurred by long-distance caregivers, followed by those who live with their ailing relative.

It is estimated that 34 million Americans provide care for older family members or friends. This study helps further illustrate the extent of the challenges facing this country as the population ages.