高齢者の住環境整備 : 都市部と地方との格差を認識しながら

抄録

It has been over twenty years since modern rehabilitation introduced in Japan. As a Medical Social Woker (MSW) I think it an important theme to improve the housing environment, which makes handicaps' social return easier. The theme becomes more and more important because in this aged society the social welfare of utilizing some institutions has been replaced by the one of being-at-home. Admittedly, Aged people need much care to keep their life at home as long as they can without environmental changes. By now a considerable number of books or data concerning the hardware such as housing facilities or housing plans. I think, on the contrary, the software should bethought much of ; functional aspects of the person in point ; his (her) or his (her) family's intentions ; grasping the state of his (her) finances ; suggesting to make use of publicly supporting system. Consequently, the rehabilitation or welfare interest should have realistic point of view, definitely recognize the existing gap between cities and local areas such as Kumamoto, etc., while it is generally not regarded as an important problem in the field of social welfare, esp. legal aids. Considering the above mentioned, various ways of careful and warmhearted aids should be prepared for the housing environment of the advanced ages. In this paper, I treat the housing environment of the advanced ages from the point of MSW's view, explicating its history or local characteristics, with some case reports.