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Yamanoi Kazunori Home

The Care for the Elderly in Sweden and in Japan


5. Facilities for the Elderly


5 3 The Comparison of the facilities between Sweden and Japan 

  I have explained some long term care facilities in Japan.  It is true that the welfare and medical system in both countries are so different that it is rather hard to compare the facilities in both countries. But through the comparison between the long term facilities in both countries. I found that the Swedish nursing homes - sjukhem - are similar to the Japanese Geriatric Hospitals and that the Swedish Old Age Homes - ålderdomshem -are similar to Japanese nursing homes for aged. Because the Swedish old age homes and the Japanese nursing homes for the aged are both welfare facilities for those who can not stay at home any longer and do not need so much medical care. But the Swedish Nursing Homes "was" the medical facilities for those who needed some kind continuous med i ca I care I ike the patients at the Japanese geriatric hospitals.  But after the ÄDEL-reformen in 1992, the responsibility of the Swedish nursing homes moved to the municipality. So now the Swedish nursing homes are becoming more like the Japanese nursing homes for the aged. And at the Swedish faciIities the number of stuffs is much more and the care standard is much better than those of Japan.   The care cost is more expensive in Sweden.

 

Table.16
Number of Full Time Stuffs and Size at the Facilities and the Hospitals 

 (Per 100 Residents)

Facilities  Physi - cian  Nurse *   Care Stuff  m2 per 
patient * *
Nursing Home  l***  3 22    8.25 m2
 ( 4- 6beds ) 
Facilities for Health Services for Elderly   20   8 m2 
(4 beds in a room) 
Geriatric Hospital   17 13  4.3 m2 
( 4-2Obeds ) 
Hospital     25    
SWEDEN         
Old Age Home (Ålderdomshem )  0  0 **** 52  17.6 m2 singleroom 
Nursing Home
 ( Sjukhem ) 
0  
***** 
25 
****** 
51 
****** 
 16.0 m2 
(1-4 beds) ******* 
* Including assistant nurse in Japan 
** (   ) Number of Beds in One Room
*** Part Time Physician 
**** The nurses, who work for the county council regularly visit the old age homes. 
***** The physician who work for the county council, regularly visit the nursing homes 
******  The Statistic from the MATHILDENBORG SHUKHEM i MalmöCare Stuffs : 51 assistant nurses(undersköterska) 
*******  27% single room, 30% double room, 38% 4-beds room  

(Source: 

Socialstyrelsen redvisar 1987:12 "Att bo pa institution") 

(Source: 

Guideline by Ministry of Health and Welfare in Japan IHE ARBETSRAPPORT 1992 5 in Sweden) 

In Japan, Ministry of Health and Welfare decide the guideline of the number of the stuffs per patients at the institutions and at the hospitals.  But in Sweden there is no strict guideline as in Japan.

It is clear that the size of the room is much bigger in Sweden. And the single room is more common in Japan. 

The definition of the institutions and the ADL of the patients are different one another, so to compare the institutions in both countries are difficult.  But we can compare roughly, because  generally speaking the residents at the Japanese nursing homes and the facilities for health service for elderly are similar to the residents at the old age homes in Sweden and the residents at the Japanese geriatric hospital are similar to the residents at the Swedish nursing homes. 

The comparison of the number of stuffs per one resident and the running cost per one resident per one day are as follows;

 

Table.17 
The Comparison of the Number of Stuffs, the Running Costand the Expenses by the Resident Self

  (in 1991)

  Number of Stuffs  Running  
Cost ( SEK ) *
Average Expenses of Resident Self 
Japan  
Nursing Home
Facilities for Health
Service for Elderly
Geriatric Hospital
 
 
0.
26

0.29
 0.33  

560   

 580   
780

56 

111 
44** 
Sweden 
Old Age Home 
Nursing Home 

0.52
0.76  

l,000 
 l,200

167*** 
65**** 

 (number of stuffs means the total number of physicians, nurses ,assistant nurses and care stuffs)

Running Cost 
(Source: 

"Koreishakai no Shakaihosho no Kadai" 
by Prof.Mitsuya Ichien

  Kansai Gakuin University Economy Rapport 45-2 
  publ i shed 25.08.199 l 

:

"Facts sheets on Sweden" in 1992) 

 1  

SEK = 15 Japanese YEN on April in 1993 
*
The household cost in Japan is about 50% more expensive than in Sweden. So the real cost gap is much bigger than this compar i son .
**


Official statistic By the Ministry of Health and Welfare is 44 SEK per day . But actualIy bedridden eIdeIyor seniIe dementia patients sometimes must employ private care stuffs because the number of care stuffs at the hospitals is too few. In such case, patients must pay 200-400 SEK per day. 
***
There is no statistic. But residents pay about 5,000-6,000 SEK per month. But there is a housing allowance system in Sweden . 
**** This price will become much more expensive from 1993  

 


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