The Promoting Factors and the Inhibiting Factors for the Utilization of Informal Resources on Care Management Practice by Care Managers

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore and clarify the promoting factors and the inhibiting factors for the utilization of informal resources on care management practice by care managers in care management office in the community. The semi-structured interviews with twenty care managers with over five years of experience in Tokyo metropolitan area were conducted. The results of constant comparative method analysis revealed four promoting factor categories: ‘person-centered attitude’, ‘the unique value of informal resources’, ‘promotion of community engagement’, ‘a sense of crisis over the limits of long-term care insurance’, and four inhibiting factor categories: ‘a service-driven attitude focusing on the state in need of care’, ‘vulnerability of informal resources’, ‘few informal resources in the community and no information aggregation’, ‘dissatisfaction with inadequate long-term care insurance system’. Consequently, these eight categories including four promoting factor categories and four inhibiting factor categories were arranged into four areas: ‘perspectives of assessing the individual’, ‘evaluation of informal resources’, ‘collaboration with the community’, and ‘issues in the long-term care insurance system’. The results suggest that a comprehensive perspective spanning micro, meso, macro is necessary to promote the utilization of informal resources.