Emergency Medicine in Japan Essays

Emergency Medicine in Japan Essays Emergency Medicine in Japan Paper Emergency Medicine in Japan Paper In Japan, there is currently a problem concerning the number of aged people. They are more compared to the number of young people. This therefore creates a problem in that especially their families see them as a problem. According to Japanese traditions, the old people were to be respected and taken care of even according to the rules set by Confucius. Instead of doing this, the people who are supposed ot be taking care of the old people are the same ones who are mistreating and at times even physically abusing these old people (Goodman R. 39-51). The major problems se in once the people retire. If the person decides to live alone there are very high chances of their isolation by their family and even the government. This isolation then leads to their suffering in silence since they have no one to tell their problems to. In most cases, one finds that after retirement there are very many divorces since the spouse may find it to be a lot of work taking care of the elderly person and also take care of them end up divorcing because of the frustrations they encounter. Men are the most affected after retirement especially if they are single or have been divorced from their wives. Most of them do not know how to take care of themselves. At times they have been found dead for even a number of months yet no one noticed because no one checks on them. They may also not know how to cook and thus may even die out of starvation in their own houses not because they do not have money but because they are unable to utilize what they have. They also get to be very dirty as they do not clean their houses or even their own clothes and this leads to their living in unhygienic places which are a health hazard. The attitude those related to the elderly exhibit towards them also determines the quality of life that they have after they retire. There are various types of abuse that they face. The most extreme includes the physical abuse that his people face. Most of the time the spouses of the elderly persons do this. This is because they are also old and frustrated by their own diminishing capabilities. To have the task of taking care of another old person with the same or even more inabilities becomes very frustrating and emotionally draining for them. They do not physically abuse them willingly but do so as a response to their frustrations. If on top of being old the elderly person now requires personalized care even more than normally an old person requires. This is on top of the fact that they are an economic burden to the relatives. Since everyone is too busy with their won careers, they tend to have no time for these old people and they end up neglecting them even when they need their help the most. The time required to dedicate to the old people is lacking and hence they suffer from the busy schedule and relatives adhere to. The people required to take care of these old people tend to become emotionally unstable because of the strain of trying to juggle their lives on top of the responsibility of taking care of the elderly (Ezaki T Hashizume M. 296-299). It has been established that the relationship that one has with the elderly person most of the times determines how that person will treat the aged. The sons are the people who are mostly involved in the abuse of their own parents. Most of the time when the parents come to live with their sons in their houses and this puts an extra burden on the family. The wives are left with the responsibility offending to these parents on top of their other chores and this is what most of them resent. They end up nagging their husbands about their parents especially the mothers and they in turn end up taking out their frustrations on their parents. There is also psychological abuse that is inflicted on the elderly. This is the trickiest form of abuse because most of the time the perpetrator does not even know that they are partial treatment towards them that is actually sub-standard when compared to their presence. This makes them feel like they are burdening their families and also as if they are worthless and should instead wait for their death. The increased life expectancy and low birth rates led to a very high percentage of old people and very few people to replace them are not available. In Japan there is a hierarchical way of promoting people in the workforce whereby the older people have the higher positions. When this people retire they leave a gap that is almost impossible to fill. Apart form this, those who retire and do not have much benefits from their employers end up becoming dependents on their younger relatives ( cossa. org) There is also a problem that has become increasingly evident among the old people. This problem is the proficiency in the use of the new technology. There is constant upgrading and innovation of new technology such that the old people are unable to keep up with the changes. Most of the time they find that they are unable to communicate to others when the communication requires the use of the new technology. Considering the many advancements that Japan makes every year, it has been hard for the old people to keep up with all these changes. They are therefore unable to communicate their needs in time to their relatives. Desperation is also on the rise due to the emotional pressures put on the caregivers. They have too much to do especially if the elderly person is terminally ill and the person giving the care is also elderly. If the caregiver is a close relative like a child to the elderly person, it may also be very stressful especially if facing financial difficulties. The person may get very depressed and end up committing murder as well as murdering the person he or she is taking care of. This has become very common in Japan especially since the society still looks down on those who take their parents and hence his wife is the one carrying this burden. The large numbers of aged people in the society are putting a strain on the social support whereby the number of dependants are in a ratio of 1:2 when compared to the number of work force. This then means that the number of people depending on what is produced is far much greater than the income can support without straining. Furthermore, there is the use of hospital beds by some of the terminally ill old people. These people have no hope of getting better and hence end up using bed space that could be used by people who can be helped. The work force is also greatly reduced and this affects productivity. There is a generation problem whereby there are very old people and very young people. Those of over sixty-five are very many. Those middle aged are quite few but they have given birth and hence there are some young people around. This causes a problem of ideological differences. One finds that the older generation has a set of ideas that is totally different with the set that is being used by the younger generation. This causes a lack of connection between the two generations and a total breakdown of communication. There are various changes that occur but the most conspicuous ones involve the family structure. The relationship that existed between the parents and children changes. Initially they were supposed to cohabit but now this is changing. Each prefers his or her own privacy whereby they live apart and only communicate when there is a need. The children also do not want to be burdened with the role of caring for their parents and hence many try to utilize the homes for the aged as much as possible. They prefer to pay for their institutionalization instead of taking care of them at home (Asai M. O Kameoka V. A 123-134). Those who suffer most are those who are bedridden, apart from suffering, they require a lot of financial help from the rest of the population and also from the government. Measures should be put in place to ensure that there are people who go round the houses where these people live to check in on them. This should be done regardless of whether the people are being taken care of them at home or in an institution. They should also be able to track down their benefits because most of their benefits get lost along the way or are used by their relatives without their knowledge or even their participating in the use (Miura, H, O. T 162-164) Work Cited R Goodman R. Demographic Change and the Family in Japan’s Aging Society Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute Vol. 12 2006 39-51 Asai M. O Kameoka V. A. The influence of Senkentei on family care giving and underutilization of social services among Japanese caregivers social work Vol. 50 2005 123-124 Ezaki T. Hashizume M. Emergency Medicine in Japan Emergency Medicine Australia Vol. 19 Issue 296-299 August 2007 Miura H. Ota T. End of life care in the elderly patients – resolving ethical dilemmas in Japan Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi 2007 Mar 162-164 Why population aging matters: a global perspective. Retrieved on 7th Nov 2007 from cossa. org/seminars/2007/population_aging. pdf