"I Will Grow Old Where I Lived"... Japan Offers '2 Million Won Per Person' for Home Repair Costs [Senior House]

[13]"I Want to Grow Old Where I Lived" - Japan Covers Home Repair Costs

Japanese Government Provides 2 Million Won Per Elderly Person Through Long-Term Care Insurance
Housing Renovation Projects Active... Market Worth Up to 14 Trillion Won

A Necessary System for Korean Elders Who Wish to Stay in Their Homes

A Japanese elderly person applied for a home renovation service, resulting in the installation of a ramp next to the stairs. This allows wheelchairs to pass through easily. Photo by Sankyo Aluminum (三協アルミ社) website

Japanese elderly people often choose not to move into senior housing but instead renovate their original homes with government support. The key points of home renovation are threefold: removing thresholds at entrances and room doors to allow wheelchair mobility inside the house; replacing door handles with long, friction-enhanced safety handles; and installing non-slip pads throughout the home to prevent falls, which are the most feared accidents among the elderly.

The government provides subsidies to enable these renovations. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare supports home repairs through the Long-Term Care Insurance system, which corresponds to Korea’s long-term care insurance for the elderly. Seniors with care grades who wish to renovate their homes can receive up to 200,000 yen (approximately 2 million KRW) per person. Thanks to this subsidy, specialized companies for elderly home renovations have rapidly emerged.

Iwanna Reisuke, a senior researcher at Mitsubishi UFJ Research, an expert in elderly welfare policy whom we met in Tokyo, said, "There is almost no more space to build senior housing, but regardless, the elderly population continues to increase. Given this situation, the demand for home renovations to allow seniors to spend their final days where they have lived is growing."

Currently, this kind of home renovation support service has expanded so much that it can be called the "senior housing renovation service industry." Iwanna added, "The number of elderly people certified for long-term care in Japan will reach 7 million next year, and I expect this market to grow to a scale of up to 14 trillion yen."

On the 23rd of last month, Iwana Reiske, Senior Researcher at the Policy Research Business Division of Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting, explained Japan's elderly housing policy in an interview with Asia Economy. Photo by Yujin Park

Tomoko Matsumoto (82), who lives in a detached house on the outskirts of Tokyo, said, "I considered moving into senior housing, but since I can still live alone, I renovated my home two years ago with government financial assistance. Since a ramp was installed at the door, it has become easier to move around in a wheelchair." She added, "There are quite a few neighbors in the area who have also renovated their homes like this. In the past, we often heard about someone falling at home and being unable to get up, but those stories have disappeared."

Elderly people living in renovated homes can also receive care services from local governments. Care workers, social workers, doctors, and nurses visit each home to provide 24-hour monitoring of seniors living at home.

Professor Lee Kyung-rak of the Department of Architectural Engineering at Uiwon University explained, "Most of the houses where elderly people live in Japan are detached homes built 20 to 30 years ago. At that time, aging was not as severe as it is now, and awareness of 'barrier-free' design was lacking." He added, "Even if seniors want to continue living in their homes, many inconveniences exist, so government support has begun."

Home renovation is a necessary policy for elderly people in Korea as well. Yoo Ae-jung, director of the Integrated Care Research Center at the Health Insurance Research Institute, said, "Since there are so many elderly people living in large cities, it is impossible for all of them to enter facilities even when they become late-stage elderly. I expect demand for apartment renovations, such as adjusting the height of bathroom sinks and kitchen countertops and removing entrance thresholds, to increase."