1. Introduction
In the field of care insurance, Continue Living is required in regions that have long existed on an ideal of a community-based integrated care system. To support Continue Living for the elderly, we need a system that not only provides medicine and care but also prevention, health, life support and that can use systems integrally and appropriately in areas of daily living. Out of these, (1) cooperation in provision of medicine and care and (2) prevention, health, life support, and various preparations of counseling services are important problems of the future. Especially, the latter services concerning prevention and health, and life support, are required to develop in each region. However, this service has been established in the insurance system.
Omuta city started the Community Center Project in 2006, and this project has worked on the prevention of a long-term care state and health class in the core of community centers. It is located throughout the city: the number of community centers was 36 and 40 facilities in 2010 and 2014, respectively. This study aims to clarify the time series change of facility management and the factors that activate it. The investigation period was between 2010 and 2014, five and nine years since the project started.
2. Research Method
The objects of this study were all the community centers opened in Omuta city as of April 2014. The methods used included a questionnaire, interview, and location survey. The questionnaire comprised facility management and actual performance for each facility. The recovery rate of the questionnaires was 100% in 2010 and 92.5% (actual performance rate was 87.5%) in 2014. Interviews were conducted on 10 facilities. The locational survey rate was 40/40 and the analyses of floor plans were 39/40.
3. Discussion
1) The facility of “Opening at amount of time hours” in 2010 and 2014 was more than 80%. The facility operated from six to nine hours. The percentage for opening hours was about 60%.
2) A steering group in action decreased proprietary activities by corporations and increased group activities by citizens.
3) In 2014, the average monthly number of openings per facility was 20 counts; the average monthly number of participants per facility was 163 people. A comparison of 2010 and 2014 show a significant difference of 1% for both indexes.
4) In the case study, community centers served the function of providing consultation services from social welfare workers and residents, finding problems, and noticing changes of local residents. It also acted as an intermediary to specialized agencies and coordinated with various organizations.
5) Factors influencing the revitalization of community centers from statistical investigation were as follows: (a) Having staff on duty at all times in the community center, and always being open in the daytime; (b) Conducting original activities for children and commissioned projects from local governments; (c) Advertising facilities in the area to create public relations papers; (d) Developing a relationship between human resources, such as regarding volunteer; and (e) Participating in neighborhood community associations and community activities.
