The secret to "Aging in Place" learned from people with disabilities: Mixed method research

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K19675
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 58:Society medicine, nursing, and related fields
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Miho Iwakuma 京都大学, 医学研究科, 准教授 (60512481)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-06-29 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 障がい者 / 高齢化 / エイジングプレイス / ピアサポート

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The results of the questionnaire showed that 45.7% of respondents said they did not know much about secondary disabilities, and 52.1% responded that they thought they had a secondary disability. Regarding peer support, it is possible that people choose who they consult with depending on the information they seek, and that peers are expected to play a different role than medical professionals.
In the interview study, ``horizontal connections'' and ``vertical connections'' were extracted, and practical knowledge was formed through peers. The secret to an aging place given by people with disabilities who have lived in communities is to have the experience of receiving assistance (before you become disabled), how to receive assistance, how to interact with the caregiver, and awareness towards "not cause trouble" fear that the non-disabled have.

Free Research Field

ヘルスコミュニケーション

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本のみならず世界が高齢化へ向かっている中、これまでは「高齢期になって障害をもつ」人口（障がい高齢者）に注目がされがちだった。しかし医療技術の発達などから「障害を持ちながら高齢期を迎える人たち」（高齢障がい者）も増えてきている。近年、エイジングプレイスという言葉が使われるようになったが、その言葉が作られる前から、障害があっても地域で暮らす人たちは、「要介護状態になっても地域で豊かに暮らす」工夫を重ねている。彼ら・彼女たちからエイジングプレイスの秘訣を学び、社会のリソースとすることが本研究の社会的意義といえる。