Delivering Newsletters by Bicycle, Checking on 50,000 Elderly in Japan Daily [Turning My Home into a Senior House]

"Village Messengers" Deliver Newsletters to 50,000 Elderly Households by Bicycle in Japan
3,500 Volunteers Check on Seniors While Distributing Newsletters
Immediate Hospital Visits for Elderly Found in Need
A 70-Year-Old Cooperative Runs Village Messenger Program, Hospitals, Clinics, and Senior Housing

An elderly volunteer who distributes a monthly village newsletter and checks on the well-being of senior citizens in Midori Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, is riding a bicycle around the neighborhood on November 20th last year. Photo by Park Yujin

"Today, I will ride my bicycle around the neighborhood once again. The elderly are eagerly waiting for the village newsletter."

Yukie Tsukada, a 76-year-old grandmother living in Midori Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, rides her bicycle around the village one day each month. She does this to deliver the monthly village newsletter to every household.

At the end of last year, she had an unforgettable experience while delivering the newsletter. "It was a day when the temperature dropped below freezing, and I saw an elderly man standing still in front of his door without even wearing a coat. At first, I just passed by, but on my way back, he was still in the same spot. Something felt wrong, so I rang the doorbell."

It turned out that the man was suffering from dementia. That day, he was exhibiting strange behavior, such as smearing excrement on the exterior wall of his house. This happened while his daughter and son-in-law, who lived with him, were away. "I immediately took him to the hospital. If I had just passed by on that cold day..."

Before retiring, Grandma Tsukada worked at her family's automobile parts company. She started this volunteer work six years ago after her husband passed away. In Nagoya, there are about 3,500 volunteer 'Village Messengers' like Grandma Tsukada. These volunteers do more than just deliver newsletters to 50,000 elderly households; they actively practice community care.

In Midori Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, volunteer seniors who distribute a monthly village newsletter check on the well-being of elderly residents as they chat together. Photo by Minami Cooperative

The differentiated social safety net called 'Village Messenger' was created by the Minami Medical Cooperative (hereafter Minami Co-op). Minami Co-op is a leading integrated medical and care corporation in Nagoya, established in 1959 after the Isewan Typhoon struck. The typhoon caused over 5,000 deaths in Nagoya alone. Relief activities by medical staff from Tokyo and the Kansai region left a deep impression on local residents. With the hope that such people would be present in their own community, 300 Nagoya residents founded a small clinic and launched Minami Co-op.

More than 70 years later, Minami Co-op has 97,000 members. Its accumulated capital investment amounts to 3.3 billion yen (approximately 31.3 billion KRW). The city's medical and care system now relies heavily on Minami Co-op. The cooperative operates 64 business locations, including a general hospital (313 beds), a rehabilitation hospital (60 beds), nine clinics, and 11 home medical care centers. It has also established 13 senior housing facilities and 10 daycare centers.

Minami Co-op takes the greatest pride in its 'Village Messenger' program. This community-based service allows volunteers to ride bicycles, visit homes, deliver newsletters, and check on the well-being of elderly residents. As in the case of Grandma Tsukada, if a sick or endangered elderly person is found, the volunteers can immediately connect them with medical staff and provide necessary welfare services.

Naomi Sugimura, director of Minami Co-op, said, "Our goal is to create an environment where people can continue living at home even as they age and suffer from dementia. Elderly people aged 65 to 75 who work as 'Village Messengers' play an important role as active participants in community welfare, not just as welfare recipients."

Grandmother Yukie Tsukada (76), who rides a bicycle once a month to distribute the village newsletter and check on the well-being of the elderly in Midori Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, is being interviewed on December 23 last year. Photo by Yujin Park