Japan is experiencing rapid increase in aging population, combined with a low birthrate and decrease of total population. It may be important to promote and generalize the concept of Circle of care, which circulates multigenerational mutual support. Therefore, we propose multigenerational mutual support system based on the concept of Positive spiral of care. The concept aims at developing social policies that include the concept circle of care, which may contribute to achieve sustainable society. Multigenerational mutual support system based on the concept of Positive spiral of care should include 4 areas of support; 1) children and childrearing, 2) persons with disabilities, 3)financially disadvantaged, 4) the elderly. To circulate the multigenerational mutual support in the four areas of support continuously, we introduce a tentative plan of building a platform Integrated support center for multigenerational residents. This study investigated nation-wide advanced examples and demonstrated that these examples were categorized into four types. All the examples aimed at supporting multigenerational and individual high risk cases. From the preventive view point of these risks, multigenerational approach should be implemented to population-based approach for enhancing community.

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

We examined the effect of a simulation-based training program of the elderly in an elementary school of an urban city. In March 2012, we conducted a program of a simulation-based training of the elderly as a period for integrated study with 62 children (23 boys and 39 girls) enrolled in the third grade of an elementary school in order to understand elderly people. We analyzed the transcriptions of the activity and comments from children collected after the end of the activity. As a result, most children learned about the disability of the elderly, the difficulty of supporting elderly people and understood the elderly with sympathy from communications with others in the activity. On the other hand, some children had a vague image of the elderly or just enjoyed the program, so we think that we need to introduce in parallel another program that helps them understand elderly people. Moreover, it is necessary to continue to examine the effect of the program for lower grades of elementary school because there is little information at present..

View full abstract

This research studies the current condition of intergenerational programs at after-school care of school children in Japan (It will be referred as the program in this summary). The research analyzes data collected from 1,714 facilities, 36.4% of which regularly implement the program. The common frequency of the implementation of the program, which comprises of 66.2%, is once to fifth a year. The reasons for the facilities that do not implement the program are as follows; lack of opportunities and interests; environmental factors; and interactions outside the after-school care of school children. The reasons for the facilities that did not continue the program are infectious disease and budget. The following three factors Full-time employees, acceptance of higher grade students, and children's hall for child welfare indicate a positive correlation between the general features of the facilities and the implementation. The most popular activity is traditional games. Activities such as book readings and seasonal events are also desired at various institutions that have been implementing the program. The common expectations are as follows: learning an experience and knowledge from elderly and nurturing respect for elderly. The facilities with the past experience in the program tend to have higher expectations for the program.

View full abstract

A primary school in Tokyo Tama district has implemented a unique intergenerational program, a foster-grandchildren system, named Satomago System between the primary school pupils and the elderly. It has continued over a long period of time about 25 years from 1991 up to now, This study clarified that the Satomago System program has been supported by the volunteer consciousness rooted in the community by the existing materials, literature, and the interviews who know the beginnings of this program. In particular, this primary school, had promoted the welfare education integrated with the local community by the idea of symbiosis before the Integrated Learning was enacted and implemented. In addition, this practice is one of the few primary schools, due to a virtuous cycle of the local community, has become a case study of the cooperation of the residents living in the district, the school and the community. This study was explored to clarify the background of the consciousness of symbiosis and cooperation with the local community that this Satomago System was created, also investigate the concept of intergenerational programs necessary for the welfare education in the future, and the concept in order to take root in school education.

View full abstract

In this report, we focus on the auditor system, which was intended for school support activities participants are addressed, in Tosa District, Kochi Prefecture. It is intended to clarify the effect and expectations of intergenerational activities by consciousness research for the elderly and analysis for the auditor system. As the results, the Lifetime Gakushu School as the auditor system can accept school cheering registrant to attend the elementary and junior high school classes. And it was found that the aim of the system was to promote lifelong learning based in the school with supporting the school education across the region. Most of children and students of the receiving side had experienced exchanges with the elderly in activities of school cheerleaders. Students had been growing awareness to understanding of the thoughts of the elderly and to teach the elderly by experience to learn along with the elderly. In addition, it became clear that they hoped to be taught about the history of their town and the traditional games by the elderly and they wanted to teach how to use the machines of ICT. We found that this system was expected as the intergenerational activity with reciprocal learning between the elderly and students.

View full abstract

The questionnaire survey about experience around child for 225 persons living in Hyogo, Japan was performed in 2012 by Hyogo council of Youth Organization. We investigate intergenerational experiences in above survey. The results are as follows. The seven intergenerational experiences in childhood are recognized as effective ones in their life after becoming an adult regardless of their age, gender, residence area and number of brothers or sisters. Especially, the evaluation to these experiences becomes higher as get older. The persons living in urban area consider them to be more effective than ones living in country side. Furthermore, one of four hasn’t lived together with their grandparents, and one of ten hasn’t done the others intergenerational experiences. In particular, for the younger generation, the not-experience rates increase more, and the rate for the child who does not have brothers or sisters or child living in urban area is higher than those for the others.

View full abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine the necessary factors for successful implementation of comprehensive community-based support centers and to determine the structures and mechanisms that allow the creation of Multigenerational Cyclical Support sustainable environments for intergenerational exchange, by focusing on the personnel at such centers. We selected 14 cutting-edge examples of programs around the country serving seniors, children and parents, the unemployed and the poor (including NEET and students), and the disabled, and conducted interviews. Results show the necessity of an environment that supports connection and a network of human relations. Additionally, serving existing needs, sustainable support systems, and development of human resources with intergenerational perspectives are important factors.

View full abstract

Friendly-greeting campaign is one of the activities aimed at safety of children, fostering and strengthening of local communities, and crime prevention. It can be a starting point of intergenerational exchange in the region. The purposes of this paper were to consider the effects of friendly-greeting campaign theoretically and to sort out devices and problems on activities through a review of previous researches and reports of the advanced cases. The results indicated that the campaign can have beneficent effects on development of each generations: fixation of greeting habit and promotion of socialization for children, and the ferment of generativity for middle and old age. Moreover, it was found that there are 3 points to carry out friendly-greeting campaign effectively: (1)to hold activities on basis of long-term deployment plan, not as a one-short event, (2)to lead wide range of age groups in activities through cooperation between the citizens and administrative organs, or between schools and local residents, and (3)visualization of activities by use of promotional items and holding events related to friendly-greeting campaign. It will be necessary to study effects of the campaign, or devices and problems on activities, in detail and empirically through systematic investigation or interview about the advanced cases from now on.

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract