Roles and systems of day centres: elderly-case study of a moderately mountainous area in Japan

The provision of housing for the elderly remains a key issue in every ageing society. In contrast, day centres for the elderly have not been given the same level of attention. However, day centres for the elderly are expected to play a more important role in global ageing populations, since keeping the care-needing elderly living in their own homes with proper care services has become part of the mainstream social care vision. Particularly in the kinds of under-populated and ageing areas that are increasing in ageing countries, the lack of day service provision causes direct inconvenience to elderly residents. Focusing on the case of a moderately mountainous area in Japan, where a care system centred on the public hospital has been established, in this paper the discussion focuses on systems of elderly care and the roles they play, by examining the overall picture of the elderly who use such centres. Copyright © 2015 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd