Moreover, the volunteer service providers see their activities being sustained by a spirit of offering mutual support resulting in both enhancement of the volunteer's psychological well-being as well as the actual support services to the aged person. The survey results also imply that public in-home services for the aged are not developed fully enough to give people relief in a contemporary Japan. Generally Japanese females perform household and caregiving chores while males work outside the home. Data were collected through mailed questionnaire survey. The purpose of the study was to find out what kind of characteristics users of in-home services have, why they utilize services, and what their needs are.
Major findings are as follows.
Personal care and transportation were also commonly used services. The Golden Plan is a comprehensive policy for welfare for the aged that holds a long-term view. It is innovative in the points that it is endowed with huge budget, emphasizes on an development of in-home services, and reexamines the relationship between a nation and municipalities. However, the Golden Plan faces some major challenges for continued implementation. A lot of efforts need to be made in order to realize an ideal of the Golden Plan in terms of systems, finances, and manpower.