Research Themes

• The development of intervention and prevention program to elderly abuse of the caregiver at home
  Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
  01 Apr. 2013 - 31 Mar. 2016
  The author conducted following activities aimed at reduction and prevention of an abuse of a caregiver in this research, for three years. In fiscal year 2013, the author analyzed a process of lead to abusive behaviors, a motive and a behavior, and developed educational program and the educational materials. In fiscal year 2014, we developed the educational program to reduce and prevent abusive behavior, and put it into effect for a caregiver who is in a high risk. Fiscal year 2015, the author compared the program effect, and estimated about the object with the high validity, appropriate timing for intervention and a method and made them refining.
  Educational program of a caregiver was made as an outcome and slide educational materials, and DVD educational materials were developed as a manual for lecturer and the audiovisual materials which can be utilized by a lecture and a practice.
• Influence of care service for elderly Japanese requiring care at home in the areas with heavy snowfall
  Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
  2002 - 2005
  The influence of day-service among services for home-cared elderly people was evaluated. The subjects were 205 elderly people living at home who were using long-term care insurance and consented to the study. The items surveyed were basic attributes, Barthel index, MMSE, GDS-15, EuroQol in Japanese, height, body weight, grip strength, muscle volume, serum albumin, and hemoglobin. In a survey performed from January to March, 2003, 70% or more of the subjects stayed in doors. The factors predictive of overall dependence for the ADL were male sex, decline of the grip strength, high GDS-15 score, and decreased thigh muscle volume. The need-of-care level and frailness were higher in the group receiving day-service. According to the results of a survey performed in summer, 2003, the frequency of going out during summer increased, and perceived improvements in body movements were observed, in the group at lower need-of-care levels, but no seasonal difference was noted in the group at higher need-of-care levels. The physical function and nutritional state tended to decrease with subjects needing higher need-of-care. No seasonal difference was noted in the blood 25-OH-D level. A follow-up survey was performed in January to March, 2005 in 118 subjects. While the influence of day-service could not be demonstrated by comparison between day-service users and non- day-service users, a significant difference or a tendency toward significant difference was noted in the hemoglobin and serum albumin levels according to the frequency of the use of day-service, indicating that the nutritional state is affected by the frequency of the use of day-service. Individualized walking and transfer training programs, which were performed in day-service users, were effective for the prevention of progression of the need-of-care level and physical dysfunction. The stress score due to snowfall exceeded 90 at a majority of the facilities providing home care support services.
  Further studies for local characteristics are necessary.