Cutting-edge Daily Life of Elderly #3 Let Both Flowers and Ms. Sue Blossom

In Japan, a new professional role “Work-Like Activity Support Coordinator” was introduced in 2020 as part of the Program to Develop a Support System in Daily Living. Municipalities can assign these coordinators to help older people participate in society with a role^*1. While the national long-term care insurance system aims to support older people’s independence, the existing job assistance system alone has been insufficient in enabling them to find a meaningful job. The coordinator system has been created to help resolve this issue. According to 2022 data*, among 450 municipalities in the Kanto and Shin-etsu regions, only 2.5% have assigned these coordinators.

Source: Hofu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture

Every morning, I see many adult day care buses picking up older people in my neighborhood. One of them is Ms. Sue (pseudonym), who lives two doors down from me. Aged over 80, Sue looks a bit weaker, losing her balance when walking, and seems to need help getting on and off the bus. I would watch her from a distance, worrying if she’s okay.

One Sunday, as I stepped out the front door, I spotted an old woman running water from the tap on the greenway in front of my house, filling a bucket with water. I looked closer, and guess it was? Sue! She was walking with steady steps, carrying the bucket with strong arms, and looking delighted in splashing water over the flowers again and again. Along with the flowers on the greenway, she was also giving a splash or two over her own plants, like, “Oh well, I might as well water my flowers too.”

She then enjoyed watching water droplets on the leaves sparkling under sunlight, and leisurely walked inside her house.

She looked totally different from the Sue I had known, but that was the real Sue in her everyday life.

Despite the severe and longer heat this summer, Sue would water the flowers with a big smile every day, except on rainy days and when she went to the day care center. The flowers, both on the greenway and in her garden, bloomed beautifully in the heat thanks to Sue.

But one day, as I passed by the water tap, I found a note saying: “This is public water, not for private use. XX City.” I was like, “Oh no! What would Sue do??” Right at that moment, Sue came out of her house.

What do you think she did? She glanced at the note, quickly tore it off, and crumpled it up! Then, as if nothing had happened, Sue turned on the tap as usual, filled the bucket with water, and began splashing water over the flowers on the greenway and in her garden.

I wanted to clap my hands and say "Bravo!"

Watering plants with a bucket is quite a bit of work, requiring stamina and a strong core. If watering plants helps her regain stamina and smile more often, can’t we possibly have her do it as a “job”? It can be done if a work-like activity support coordinator collaborates with a management body of the greenway, and this activity can also expand to more people, letting them blossom through meaningful work.

Written by Mamiko Kashima

*1 International Longevity Center. “FY 2022 Study on Promoting Collaboration with the Business Sector in Daily Support and Frailty Prevention for Older People, Aiming to Build Community-Based Integrated Care Systems” Report.

*2 Hamagin Research Institute. “FY 2022 Study on Assignment of Work-Like Activity Support Coordinators to Promote Older People’s Participation” Report.

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