a) Information Center for the Development of Vocational Ability of Older Persons (Koreisha Nouryoku Kaihatsu Jouhou Centah)
The main purpose of this kind of center is to find adequate jobs for unemployed older persons. It also serves as an information and advice center on various issues and problems of older persons. At present (March 30, 1997) there are 81 such centers throughout Japan.
b) Silver Manpower Center
The purpose of the silver manpower center is to find opportunities for light, part-time gainful work for older persons. It is to be noted that this center is to be run by a not-for-profit organization of retired older persons themselves. This is a national subsidized program of the Ministry of Labor. Most cities with a population over 100,000 have these centers now.
J. Other Programs
a) Tax deduction
Please refer to Section 1.
b) Telephone Reassurance Service
This service is popular in Japan, though it is not supported by the National Government. In most cases, the service is provided by volunteers, even when it is run by local governments.
c) Services for Improvements, Additions, or Remodeling of Houses for the Elderly
Recently, this kind of service has been growing rapidly, though it is not supported by the National Government. Some local governments even provide a grant for the improvement of the houses of impaired older persons when this seems necessary to avoid institutionalization.
d) Meal Services
In Japan, a daily meal service is provided by only a very small number of local governments or voluntary organizations. Moreover, almost all of these programs are still in an experimental stage. The reason why this service has not developed in Japan is that almost always such frail and/or impaired older persons who need daily meal service live with their children or are institutionalized. This is due to the underdevelopment of homehelp and other essential community care services, so that such frail and/or impaired older persons as those who need daily meal service cannot live independently in the community.
