一般に高齢者の特徴として、身体機能、生理機能、心理特性、感覚機能、生活構造の変化がある。別の視点では高齢期の危機は、健康、経済、家族の喪失といわれている。しかし、頑固さなどの特徴が目立ってきた場合、それは知的能力や自己抑制力の低下や環境の変化のため適応が困難となり、元来の性格特徴が先鋭化したもので、もともと柔軟で調和的な性格の人は高齢になってもそのような変化は示さない。つまり、変化は必ずしも高齢によらない。しかしながら危機を乗り越えるには、「新しい役割の獲得と活動へのエネルギーを再び方向付ける」ことにあるという。
　高齢視覚障害者の場合は、視機能の低下が生活変化に多大な影響を及ぼし、時に高齢者の変化の様相となることもあろう。しかし、どの高齢視覚障害者にもすべての変化が生じるのではなく、一人、健康、経済等の環境や人生が異なる。したがって、高齢視覚障害者に定まった支援モデルはない。
　ここで、事例を述べてみよう。81歳、女性、独居、緑内障、瞭眼視力は0.2、障害者手帳５級、老齢年金受給。買い物は杖を携帯し近くのスーパーで。週２回、病院と併設の施設で内科・眼科の治療とデイサービスを利用。近くに長男が居住。毎日、遠方の娘と電話で話す。また、知人が自宅に集まりお茶飲み会を行っている。このケースの場合、家族や知人に恵まれ、お茶飲み会は能動的な活動といえる。医療・介護保険施設を有効に利用し、住み慣れた地域の中で社会生活に適応している。
　高齢視覚障害者ケアのポイントは、一人ひとりの視機能の理解と人生を尊重することである。それには、青壮年者のように訓練を行い生活能力の向上を図るというより、環境調整が大切となる。つまり、家族、知人、医療機関、介護保険、障害者手帳、地域の特質などを視野に入れた総合的な環境調整が必要である。

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This paper attempts to follow the process of formation of the "post-war family system" in Japan by overviewing the trend of change in Japanese families mainly since the end of World War II, and to search the future direction of transmutation of contemporary Japanese family system, confirming availability of conceptual framework of the structural-functional approach in family sociology, based on the system theory. The post-war family system in Japan had been formed through the period of the rapid economic development(from 1955 to 1975), with the decrease of the pre-war family system as a type of extended family. It was characterized by the form of nuclear family based on fixed gender-role differentiation and had two main family functions; the stabilization of adults' personalities and the basic socialization of children. In contemporary Japan, however, this family system has been changing in all aspects of family form, family role structure and family function with progress of the social diversification. I propose that these changes are meanings of not the expression of "the crisis or fall of the family, " but the creation of the "post" post-war family system, that has so flexible structure and various functions in response of numerous changes in the social environment.

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Workfare is a policy that has attracted a considerable amount of interest in recent years as a modern approach to restructuring the welfare state. It has been implemented in European countries, the United States, and elsewhere. Workfare is one of the main points to consider when examining social policy models applicable to single parent families. Hence, it is important that policymakers consider the actual circumstances in their respective countries and draft policies based on the inherent and distinctive features involved. Japan has undertaken systemic reforms against the backdrop of financial burdens arising from an increase in the divorce rate in recent years, and specific measures in this respect were presented at the beginning of 2002. Although such efforts to reform the system are nascent, the philosophy underlying these policies regarding the notion of welfare to work has been put forth, and a transformation in the roles and functions of social welfare can be expected in the future. Based on the circumstances of the current social scenario, this paper focuses on trends concerning the workfare policies directed at single parent families in Japan. It examines the appropriateness of such policies in terms of Japanese attributes and organizing the issues in question. The main concern associated with single mothers in Japan is that despite a consistently high rate of employment, there is no improvement with respect to the problems of poverty and low income. Recent trends indicate a widening income gap among the working poor; hence, it can be said that the policymakers should readjust the welfare policy before undertaking any initiatives toward implementing welfare to work programs. Additionally, a characteristic of the systemic reforms in Japan is that they target the child-rearing allowance for guardians, which is a social benefit rather than public assistance. The fact that such reforms target a social benefit granted to a quantitatively large segment of the population can be viewed as serving to promote a new exclusion. Consequently, priority is given to the creation of a safety net for single mothers by examining the social security policies from a comprehensive set of viewpoints. Furthermore, it is anticipated that policymakers will ascertain the reasons for the delays in forming policies applicable to single fathers and examine their orientation in terms of both the uniqueness and the similarities of single parent families.

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Over the decades since the 1970s, feminist geography has challenged the exclusion of women from the production of geographical knowledge. With the emergence of feminist geography, gender perspectives have attracted considerable attention. However, men who feel alienated by changing gender roles have not received much attention. The purpose of this article is to elucidate the empirical situation of the masculinity of geographical knowledge by highlighting the major characteristics of alienated middle-aged single men in contemporary Japan.
In the introductory section, an overview and the significance of feminist geography are discussed. This is followed by a discussion of the importance of men's studies within gender research in geography. The development of men's studies has enabled an interrogation of masculinity from varied angles.
The second section is devoted to an explanation of the interview method employed in the article and its limitations. The informants are ten single men, aged 35-64. Their narratives are quoted as evidence of their alienation.
The third section interprets the concrete places within which middle-aged single men feel alienated. The specific contents of these places of alienation are presented as follows:
1. In rural areas, where they do not play an important role within patriarchy, they are not regarded as 'full-fledged' men.
2. At the workplace, where they are unable to participate in male bonding which is a feature of homosocial workspaces.
3. At home, where the lack of women results in their homes being labelled as 'dirty', as men are considered to lack the ability to do housework.
4. In contemporary gendered urban spaces, where despite an image of these spaces allowing diversity, middle-aged single men feel suppressed.
The evidence from the research points to the above four factors being the main considerations underlying the alienation of single and middle-aged men.
Based upon the discussion of the preceding sections, the fourth section interprets the meanings of space and place from the standpoint of men who feel alienated, with reference to feminist geography. Firstly, it is noted that place in humanistic geography, which has been criticized by feminist geography as having a masculinist bias, alienates middle-aged single men, as well as women. Moreover, feminist geography points out that the notion of space in Marxist geography is also gendered. This paper draws attention to the fact that gendered space does not privilege all men, but just those men who meet certain conditions of masculinity.
The final section discusses the conclusion reached, that hegemonic masculinity in geographical knowledge oppresses not only women, but also men. Therefore, it follows that we need to elucidate differences among men.

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箱庭療法学研究　第29巻　第１号　pp.121-145　2016年
資料
“ゆらぎの物語”を創る
笹原留似子
復元納棺師・株式会社「桜」代表
千葉久美子
前宮城県石巻高等学校養護教諭
河合俊雄
京都大学こころの未来研究センター
田中康裕
京都大学
宇田川一夫
東北福祉大学

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