"If You Have Lunch, 250 Yen in 30 Minutes"... Small Care in the Daily Life of the Elderly [Turning My Home into a Senior House]

"If you make lunch, it's 2,000 won for 30 minutes"...
Small acts of daily care
What elderly people with health issues need is just a brief helping hand
Call the "Chatto" service whenever needed at a low price
Mainly used for meal preparation, cleaning, and taking out the trash
"It's become much easier to live at home"

On December 20th last year, Hisako Yamaguchi (65) is helping grandmother Yoshiko Sato (78) prepare a meal. Yamaguchi, who assisted with the grandmother's lunch preparation for an hour, credited this volunteer time to her account. Later, when she needs help, she can receive assistance from another helper for the same amount of time. Photo by Yujin Park

Yoshiko Sato, a 78-year-old grandmother living alone in Toyoake City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, had to wear a cast on her wrist for three weeks last December due to a fracture. The immediate problem was meals. Even simple cooking was difficult with one hand, and she relied only on cup noodles. Then, by chance, she heard from a neighbor that there was a city hall service providing life assistance at a low cost.

This service, called "Chatto (ちゃっと)," means "a moment" in Japanese. The cost is 250 yen (about 2,400 KRW) for 30 minutes, cheaper than a cup of noodles. Ms. Sato said, "I just made one phone call to the city hall, and a helper came right away," adding, "Thanks to them making side dishes and soup with ingredients in my kitchen, I no longer have to settle for just cup noodles." She also said, "Living alone, there are times when I need a little help, and it’s reassuring to be able to use the Chatto service at such an affordable price."

As the name suggests, Chatto provides short-term assistance to the elderly. The Toyoake City Mutual Aid Center manages the Chatto service. When an elderly person in need applies for the service, a counselor from the center sends an appropriate helper.

Toyoake City is a small city with a population of about 70,000. One in four residents is aged 65 or older. Toyoake introduced the Chatto service in 2017 with the aim of helping elderly people live healthily in their community. The core of the Chatto service is "simplicity" and "accessibility." Anyone aged 65 or older can receive help for just 250 yen per 30 minutes. However, each session cannot exceed 1 hour and 30 minutes.

On December 20th last year, Keiko Kawasaki, a counselor at the Toyoakeshi Mutual Aid Center, is consulting with a woman in her 20s who came to register as a 'Chatto' helper. Photo by Yujin Park

Keiko Kawasaki, 76, who has been working as a Chatto service counselor for seven years, said, "What elderly people often need is not major help but just a brief hand." In fact, most Chatto service requests involve small household chores such as cleaning, cooking, shopping, changing light bulbs, and airing bedding. The service does not provide nursing or medical care that requires professional certification.

Chatto helpers are selected from local residents. There are no special qualification requirements. Currently, 430 helpers are registered. They receive basic training once a month and work under the supervision of counselors. As the perception of Chatto as a "kind part-time job" spreads, many young people are applying. Sota Tanaka, an 18-year-old student who recently registered as a helper and helped a neighbor grandmother move a piano, said, "I like helping elderly people with their daily lives and earning some pocket money."

Helpers can choose to receive cash payment or accumulate time credits as compensation. If they choose to accumulate time, they can use the service later when they need help. More than half of the helpers are retirees, enabling "Nono (老老) care" through time credits. This fosters a culture of mutual aid within the community.

On December 20 last year, a helper from Toyoakeshi's 'Chatto' service is disposing of Mr. Masao Tanaka's trash at the designated disposal site. Photo by Toyoakeshi Mutual Aid Center

The demand for the Chatto service has steadily increased. The average monthly usage time, which was only 8 hours and 30 minutes in the first year, rose to 523 hours last year. The most popular service is "taking out the trash." In Japan, each local government has different days for disposing of various types of garbage, which can be difficult for elderly people with physical limitations.

Masao Tanaka, a 75-year-old grandfather who frequently uses the trash disposal service, said, "It’s uncomfortable when trash stays in the house too long because of the smell," adding, "When my arthritis was severe, I couldn’t go out to take out the trash, and I wondered if I had to move to a facility, but thanks to Chatto, it’s easier to live at home."

Toyoake City spends 10 million yen (about 96 million KRW) annually on the Chatto project. Although the budget is small, satisfaction is high, and other regions are showing interest and coming to learn from it. Tetsuki Taketa, head of the Elderly Welfare Division in Toyoake City, said, "At first, some people wondered what could be done in just 30 minutes, but that short time actually became an advantage," adding, "Thanks to this, the number of care workers operated by the city has decreased, saving financial resources."