Relationship between Hotsprings and the Number of Aged People Needing Care

Abstract

It is well known that spa therapy is quite useful for the so-called life-style related diseases. It is therefore speculated that the number of aged people to be cared by the public insurance of elderly care may be less in spa districts than in non spa districts. As a matter of fact it was demonstrated in Oita prefecture that the number of aged people qualified for receiving the care was significantly less in Beppu city and Yufuin town which are well known as spa resort than in the surrounding non spa city or towns.
This report is the result tallied up on the data from 38 prefectures all over Japan, regarding the number of aged people and hot springs. Although the ratio of number of aged people qualified for receiving the care to all aged people over 65 y-o is quite different among both the prefectures and the cities or towns under the same prefecture, the tendency of lower ratio in spa cities or towns than in the others was observed. It suggests the more prospective study is necessary on the effects of spa bathing on ADL disorders of aged people.