Creating Integrated Community Care System for Achieving ¡°Aging in Place¡±


Katsuya Iijima
Institute of Gerontology
Director/Professor
Extended life expectancy has ushered in an era of 100-year life span. To help the elderly to sustain active daily living until the end of their life, it is essential to create a society in which integrated community care, including home-based care, is firmly established. Building such a society by 2025, when Japan¡¯s baby-boomers will reach 75 years of age, is a common issue throughout Japan, and the time available for us is limited. Therefore, it is imporatnt to construct a truly integrated community care system, including medical care, with a municipal government playing a central role. In addition, a city¡¯s medical association, which facilitates community medical care, will act together as the core of the system.
Since 2009, the Institute of Gerontology, the University of Tokyo, has worked to create a model for promoting collaboration in home-based medical and nursing care in cooperation with Urban Renaissance Agency (UR) in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture. The city falls within the Greater °®¶¹´«Ã½Area, a region surrounding Japan¡¯s capital, where the population of elderly people will continue to rise in the future. This model was developed with the basic understanding that the Kashiwa city¡¯s administration will provide the foundation on which people from various professions can collaborate together and that it is indispensable to involve the Kashiwa City Medical Association in creating a sytem for collaboraiton among many professional associations.
Kashiwa City's home-based medical and care system was adopted as a Home-based Healthcare Collaboration Base Project in fiscal year 2011 and 2012, and as a Home-based Healthcare Promotion Project from fiscal 2013 under the medical policy measures of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. As such, this program has become Japan¡¯s nationwide "multi-professional collaboration system model." Based on the implementation and results of these projects, the system was implemented under the Long-Term Care Insurance Act from fiscal year 2015.
According to estimates of population aging globally, especially in Asia, some countries have rapidly-aging populations that are larger than Japan¡¯s. It is expected that the "model of multi-professional collaboration system" developed in Japan --- a leader among aging societies worldwide --- will eventually serve as a role model for such countries around the world.
Since 2009, the Institute of Gerontology, the University of Tokyo, has worked to create a model for promoting collaboration in home-based medical and nursing care in cooperation with Urban Renaissance Agency (UR) in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture. The city falls within the Greater °®¶¹´«Ã½Area, a region surrounding Japan¡¯s capital, where the population of elderly people will continue to rise in the future. This model was developed with the basic understanding that the Kashiwa city¡¯s administration will provide the foundation on which people from various professions can collaborate together and that it is indispensable to involve the Kashiwa City Medical Association in creating a sytem for collaboraiton among many professional associations.
Kashiwa City's home-based medical and care system was adopted as a Home-based Healthcare Collaboration Base Project in fiscal year 2011 and 2012, and as a Home-based Healthcare Promotion Project from fiscal 2013 under the medical policy measures of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. As such, this program has become Japan¡¯s nationwide "multi-professional collaboration system model." Based on the implementation and results of these projects, the system was implemented under the Long-Term Care Insurance Act from fiscal year 2015.
According to estimates of population aging globally, especially in Asia, some countries have rapidly-aging populations that are larger than Japan¡¯s. It is expected that the "model of multi-professional collaboration system" developed in Japan --- a leader among aging societies worldwide --- will eventually serve as a role model for such countries around the world.
Research collaborators
- Kashiwa City
- Urban Renaissance Agency (UR)
- Fukui Prefecture
- Urban Renaissance Agency (UR)
- Fukui Prefecture
Related publications
- Igarashi A, Yamamoto-Mitani N, Yoshie S, Iijima K. Patterns of long-term care services use in a suburban municipality of Japan: a population-based study. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2017;17(5):753-759.
- Kimura T, Yoshie S, Tsuchiya R, Kawagoe S, Hirahara S, Iijima K, Akahoshi T, Tsuji T. Catheter replacement structure in home medical care settings and regional characteristics in °®¶¹´«Ã½and three adjoining prefectures. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2017;17(4):628-636.
- Kimura T, Yoshie S, Tsuchiya R, Kawagoe S, Hirahara S, Iijima K, Akahoshi T, Tsuji T. Cooperation between Single-Handed and Group Practices Ensures the Replacement of Gastrostomy Tubes and Tracheal Cannulas in Home Medical Care Settings. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2017 Mar;241(3):189-199.
- Institute of Gerontology, The University of Tokyo, Implementing ¡®Integrated Community Care System¡¯ Practical Guidelines of Multi-Professional Teamwork for Home Medical Care. University of °®¶¹´«Ã½Press, 2014.
- Kimura T, Yoshie S, Tsuchiya R, Kawagoe S, Hirahara S, Iijima K, Akahoshi T, Tsuji T. Catheter replacement structure in home medical care settings and regional characteristics in °®¶¹´«Ã½and three adjoining prefectures. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2017;17(4):628-636.
- Kimura T, Yoshie S, Tsuchiya R, Kawagoe S, Hirahara S, Iijima K, Akahoshi T, Tsuji T. Cooperation between Single-Handed and Group Practices Ensures the Replacement of Gastrostomy Tubes and Tracheal Cannulas in Home Medical Care Settings. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2017 Mar;241(3):189-199.
- Institute of Gerontology, The University of Tokyo, Implementing ¡®Integrated Community Care System¡¯ Practical Guidelines of Multi-Professional Teamwork for Home Medical Care. University of °®¶¹´«Ã½Press, 2014.
Contact
- Email: miyahara[at]iog.u-tokyo.ac.jp
¡ù°Ú²¹³Ù±Õ=°ª