Elderly living alone increasingly dying the same way
Sign of an aging, isolated society: lack of family, government support
Staff writer
Die unnoticed and in two months all that is left is the stench, a rotting corpse and maggots.
And this is not a war zone or even an episode of "CSI." As Japan's population rapidly ages and more seniors find themselves living on their own, many are also dying alone, victims of "kodokushi" (lonely death) who only get noticed well after the fact.
Kodokushi has neither an official definition nor data, but just in Tokyo, people over 65 who died alone in their residence, including by suicide, stood at 2,211 in 2008, compared with 1,364 in 2002, according to the Tokyo Medical Examiner's Office.
"Those who live alone and have no friends tend to be isolated from society," said Katsuhiko Fujimori, manager and chief research associate of social policy at Mizuho Information and Research Institute.
"A lot of young people, especially men, came to big cities to work during the period of postwar economic growth, and now they are old and alone" because they are unmarried or their partner died, he said. "They might have wanted a free lifestyle, escaping from a close-knit community. But now that they're old, they can't live alone, especially if they need nursing care."
Dying alone has become a growing issue as the society rapidly ages. The government has long assumed families would care for the elderly and thus was able to minimize funding for social welfare, compared with nations in Northern Europe that have extensive welfare systems.
Fujimori said the government must confront the problems of social isolation, poverty and nursing care, because not only are more older people living alone but singles in general are increasing.
Fujimori said public support for the elderly living alone is well established in Northern Europe, particularly in terms of housing. "It's a big difference (compared with Japan)," he said.
Britain, Denmark and Sweden provide financial support for barrier-free housing with caretakers or nurses who can watch seniors around the clock.
"What's more, (Europeans) get 'informal care' from friends," said Fujimori, indicating voluntary nursing care by family, friends and neighbors.
In Japan, such informal care provided by nonfamily members amounted to just 3 percent, according to a 2005 OECD report, compared with 53 percent in Sweden, 45 percent in Canada, and 35 percent in the U.S. and the U.K.
Researchers also point out that Japan lags greatly in taking measures to help impoverished seniors living alone.
Abridged
SOURCE: JAPAN TIMES
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