ability, is a good example of the new view of disability, or, in other words, "recognition of the relativity of disability".
G. Living Support
The "Plan for People with Disabilities - A Seven Years' Strategy to Achieve Normalization", announced in December 1995, includes a new view of disabilities and shows how to take measures for people with such disabilities in the future. The outline of that plan will be reviewed here from the point of view of living support.
All government offices participated in preparing this program for all citizens with disabilities. The period within which each goal is to be attained, and numerical goals are shown in the plan. A time limit for planning and clarification of the numerical goals was requested. The necessary conditions for supporting persons with disabilities living in the community were expected to be realized slowly but surely.
In Europe and America, institution users that is, persons receiving institutional care, are being substantially reduced in number; in Japan in contrast, a goal has been set to construct, within seven years,new rehabilitation institutions for 10,000 persons with mental retardation. But another goal is to shift gradually to community support, while reconsidering the nature of institution-oriented care.
If responsibility for the support is shifted mainly to local self-governing bodies, many support services may be provided to people with disabilities in the community. But there is concern that the financial situation or eagerness of various municipalities may affect the level of the services, resulting in differences across localities.
As a part of this, two comprehensive support programs are to be constructed per 300,000 residents.Coordinators are also to be arranged. This recognizes that support plays an important role in the connection of individual needs with regional resources.
Taking away categories such as the type of disability, type of institution, degree of disability, or age,every support can be used by everyone. People can use services in their neighborhoods, especially in communities with small populations.
One of the most important policies in the "Plan for People with Disabilities" is to promote community living. The following points should be considered at this time: For example, the major reason why people with severe mental retardation had to be institutionalized is that their family caretakers became old and could not lake care of them, because of their mental or physical exhaustion. In most cases, a reliable person who cooperates with them was not available.
It is very difficult for people with disabilities to live in the community if a support system -- for example,day services -- has not been established. Excessive burden on family members, as well as institutionalization of people with disabilities due to the exhaustion of the family members, prevents people with disabilities from living together with other people in the community. Thus, we must strive to complete or improve home help service programs, temporary stay care service programs ("respite care"), and so on.Ills also necessary to build group homes.
Home helpers should be sent who can think flexibly, regardless of their working time, purpose, or the degree of disability of the user. They should make every effort to support and satisfy the people with disabilities and their families. Families who have their own businesses are too busy to assist a family member with a disability to commute between home and a day service program. However, it home helpers support such families, they will not want to have their family member with a disability placed in an institution.
Families have a great need for transportation for their family member with a disability between a daycare center and their home. To take "The Good Helper Work by Osaka City" as an example,transportation services were about 70% of the total amount of services that were offered.
Respite care (or respite services) should be made use of more often, so that more people with disabilities could live in the community without institutionalization. Proper use of respite care has various advantages -- family caretakers are able to be better rested; people with disability, being independent of other family members, can fulfill their own life, and so on.
