Rising prices are weakening the finances of Japanese retirement homes, which are already facing a growing shortage of staff against a background of accelerated aging of the population. In the coming years, 27% of these 11,575 establishments could go bankrupt if the soaring prices of services and goods continue, reveals a survey carried out by Minkaikyo, an association of care providers for the elderly. “Retirement homes are not able to pass cost increases on to consumers in the same way as other businesses”comments the association.
According to the survey, 64.3% of the establishments consulted believe that they can overcome the problem by saving on electricity or by waiving salary increases and bonuses. Rising costs have already forced 16.2% of them to cut staff and put new hires on hold.
Not enough to reassure the quality of services, while the Ministry of Health recorded a record figure of 2,390 cases of abuse of the elderly, including two deaths, during the financial year ending at the end of March 2022. This figure is up 14% compared to the previous year. And 51.5% of the victims suffered physical violence, 38.1% psychological violence and 23.9% lack of care. Sad record: 332 people were reportedly shackled.
“He was overworked”
While the increase in abuse stems in part from the Ministry’s encouraging reporting, it also reflects long-lasting problems with training, stress management, and even the existence of an environment conducive to acts of abuse. In 2019, a caregiver had stabbed a resident who could not communicate due to dementia issues. In the same year, a caregiver was arrested for assaulting a resident of a retirement home run by the Gero Welfare Association in central Gifu County. “He was overworked due to the shortage of manpower”admitted Toshihiko Kumazaki, the director of the association.
Faced with these acts, the Ministry of Health added, in 2021, to the obligations imposed on retirement homes to organize regular training sessions on the prevention of abuse. These sessions should become mandatory from the 2024 financial year. Institutions for the elderly must also set up a system to quickly report cases of abuse or suspected abuse to municipalities.
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