Care Practices and Relatedness in the Care of the Japanese Elderly by Filipino Migrants in Japan

Abstract

Longterm care has transformed how elderly care is perceived and practiced in Japan. The shift of care provision from home to institution, from family to the market and state, and from individualized to group care has significant implications in the way elderly care is provided. With the globalization of care in Japan that is seen through the participation of migrant care workers in the care for elderly residents in care facilities, what do care relations look like? The concept of relatedness enlightens the formation of connections and ties between caregivers and care recipients in non-kin relations through statements and practices that imbue meaning to care relations. Affective care practices, such as referring to elderly residents "like a family," co-presence, and exchanging time and attention, foster relatedness between Filipino care workers and elderly residents. This study shows how relatedness produces imagined kinship and intimacy between caregivers and receivers and its potential to extend across cultures.