Research on the establishment of a care system for end-of-life care of the elderly at home in areas with special heavy snowfall and no medical care

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K12600
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Community health nursing
• Research Institution: Niigata University of Health and Welfare
• Principal Investigator: Koyama Utako 新潟医療福祉大学, 看護学部, 教授 (70727346)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 和田 直子 新潟医療福祉大学, 看護学部, 講師 (60646644) ; 宇田 優子 新潟医療福祉大学, 看護学部, 教授 (70597690)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 在宅看取り / 豪雪地帯・無医地区 / 地域の支え合い / ケアシステム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Factors that increase the possibility of establishing an end-of-life care system for the elderly at home in areas with special heavy snowfall and no medical care are: the elderly themselves and their families wish to die at home, there is a 24-hour/365-day medical care provision system, there is a support system for end-of-life care at home through multi-agency collaboration, and the area has a high level of social capital. The following are cited as reasons for the high level of social capital. However, even though the elderly except for those in single-person households wished to die at home, middle-aged and older persons were negative about end-of-life care at home.
To ensure that end-of-life care respects the wishes of the elderly, discussions among family members and the creation of ACPs by the elderly are necessary from an early stage. In addition, it is necessary to change community norms and provide information on home care support services to promote the use of services.

Free Research Field

公衆衛生看護、在宅看取り、地区組織活動

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

・ 高齢、過疎化が進展する特別豪雪地帯の無医地区において、在宅死を希望する高齢者を在宅で看取るケアシステム構築の可能性を高める要因が明らかになった。
・全国の同様の地域で、高齢者の在宅看取りのケアシステムを構築する際の参考となる。