on Feb 19th, 2006Japan’s Elderly Frozen Out of Family Support
The first snow of the season usually brings a burst of kids outdoors, who spend the whole day making snowmen, throwing snowballs, and sledding down what seems like a giant mountain. Then everyone rushes home and mom (or dad) whips up a little hot chocolate and everyone tries to talk at once about how much fun they all had.
For Japan’s elderly, though, the winter is not so fun. With limited mobility and medical problems like arthritis and poor vision, living alone, apart from an extended family, presents obstacles and in some cases, a fight for life or death. Everyone is on the go today, moving from job to job; a sense of place only exists in the mind and it’s usually a faint memory blurred by the reality of inflation, bills, and pressure to get ahead.
For some of Japan’s elderly, it must feel like rushing into the train station, only to realize the last train has left for the night. As the cold and wind penetrate their clothing, and they lose all feeling in their feet and hands, the sad reality of old age blows its final whistle: “We’re closing,” says the station master, “I’m afraid you’ll have to leave.” So they shuffle out into the blizzard and disappear into the night. Yelling for help, at this point seems futile, so they lie down and fall asleep, knowing tomorrow may never come.
This is no miniature snowball scene, my friends; it’s today’s winter in Japan.
The mounting toll from this winter, analysts and officials say, has exposed one of Japan’s greatest challenges as it struggles to cope with the world’s most rapidly aging population. For generations, Japanese families practiced the time-honored tradition of living with and caring for grandparents under one roof. But that tradition has faded. Many Japanese now live in homes with only members of their nuclear family, and the number of single people living alone in cities is also on the rise.
For Elderly in Japan, a Very Long Winter
Social Changes Leave Many To Fend for Themselves
By Anthony Faiola
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, February 19, 2006; Page A14