Abstract
This paper clarifies the need of the elderly for sources of support and investigates the complementary relationship between sources of support and regional welfare activities with resident participation in hilly and mountainous areas using Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture, as a case study.
Many elderly living in hilly and mountainous areas live separately from their children, and so find it difficult to obtain support from family members. It became clear that there was a growing need for support of the elderly by neighbors to supplement support from children. There are differences from one settlement to the next, however, in terms of support needs involving neighbors, and the decreasing numbers and increasing age of neighbors has raised concerns that the needs of the elderly will not be met.
Regional welfare activities with resident participation, which have gained attention as a means of compensating for this “hollowing out” of support sources, are similar in content to the support that elderly have come to expect from neighbors. Regional welfare activities in Miyoshi are divided into “visiting type” and “commuting type, ” and the content and frequency of support differ depending on the systems of operation and the scope of the area targeted for activities. Visiting-type activities are conducted within a given “district, ” and involve the provision of support closely tied into the daily lifestyles of the elderly. One problem with this type of support is that it cannot always be provided when it is most needed. Commuting-type activities, on the other hand, are conducted mainly within a given settlement and so contribute to the reconstruction of social relations that have been subject to hollowing out. As part of these activities, the participants visit the homes of the elderly on a rotating basis. These activities, however, can only act as a partial supplement to the burden of support that had been borne by neighbors and family, and this role has its limitations.
As settlements approach their limits, an important issue will be putting in place sources of support that are closely linked to the daily lifestyles of the elderly.
