ABSTRACT
Introduction: The purpose of this study was to clarify factors related to recognition of the possibility of end-of-life care at home (hereafter referred to as end-of-life care) among middle-aged and elderly people living in heavy snowfall and depopulated areas.Methods: Residents aged 40~69 years in town B, prefecture A were surveyed by mail using a self-administered, unmarked questionnaire. Analysis methods were: (1) a reliability analysis of survey items, (2) basic statistics, (3) tests for differences in composition ratios, (4) tests of differences between the two groups for each item, and (5) binomial logistic regression analysis. Recognition of the possibility of end-of-life care was used as the objective variable, and sex, age, and 18 indicators significant in (3) and (4) were used as explanatory variables.Results: There were 63 in the positive group for end-of-life care, 239 in the negative group, and 120 in the unknown group (Response rate: 44.1%). Factors related to perception of the possibility of end-of-life care were positively related to "existence of a community hospital, " "positive image of end-of-life care, " and "trust in people in the community. "Conclusion: In depopulated areas, it is necessary to consider specific measures to promote the three factors that raise awareness of the possibility of end-of-life care.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The aim of this study was to clarify psychosocial factors supporting elderly men who were living alone in a heavy snowfall area where the population aging rate exceeded 40%.Methods: The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with six elderly men living alone. As the method of analysis, we conducted a hierarchical cluster analysis of the contents of the interviews via text mining.Results: As a result, we found the psychosocial factors supporting the elderly men living alone. We divided the factors into six categories: “well-planned roof snow removal”, “interaction with young people”, “realization of the meaning of life via driving”, “engagement in leisure and recreational activities”, “living a life aligned with personal preference” and “insistence on living alone”.Conclusion: Formal and informal networking that avoids debasing these psychosocial factors required for the continuance of living life alone is necessary.
ABSTRACT
A wide array of natural disasters are known in Japan, but by the disaster category, snow hazards are recorded as the highest or the second highest after floods in casualties in certain years. Through interviews conducted in different regions where damages due to snowfalls are potentially significant, this paper attempts to compare between municipalities as to what kind of issues local governments face in relation to regular snow removals and what approaches they take in response to such issues. Among various snow-related complaints received from the community, those regarding “snow heaps” left behind along the frontages were the biggest concerns. Other complaints included manpower shortage including fewer construction workers who actually do snow removals, insufficient resources and materials, and difficulty in transferring technical knowledge.