Abstract
In order to evaluate the impact of the reformed, long-term care insurance system on those certified for support, we investigated the following. (1) Proportions and characteristics of people facing difficulties in coping with cutbacks in home help services. (2) The relationship between changes caused by the reformed system and everyday anxieties, and characteristics of those who were more affected by the cutbacks. We conducted face-to-face interviews with people who were eligible for support Levels 1 or 2, at a selected district of a municipality in Tokyo. Data from people eligible for long term care insurance before the reforms (n=101) indicated that those who were 80 years or more, and those who had ADL disabilities were more likely to be dependent on their family members and out-of-insurance services to make up for cutbacks in home help services. In addition, those who experienced more changes by the reformed system reported more anxieties in daily life. Especially, a strong relationship between the reformed system and anxieties in daily life was seen among low-income people. These findings suggest that the reformed system had exerted significant impacts on the very-old, disabled, or low-income elderly and thus application of the new preventive benefits to these elderly groups requires advertent consideration.
