Exterior of Central Government Bldg. No.5 in Tokyo, which houses the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. (©The Sankei Shimbun)
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) plans to allow qualified foreign workers in the care field to provide home care in Japan. Eligible foreign workers must possess specified skilled workers or technical internship training visas. Or they must demonstrate other qualifications to provide home care in Japan.
A committee of experts has compiled a report and recommendations. Implementation is expected to begin as early as FY2025.
What's the Need
Until now, foreign caregivers have not been allowed to work in the home care field. They have been prohibited, even if they have completed the same training as Japanese home care workers. Furthermore, they were required to become certified care workers first, which means they need to pass more advanced qualifications, among other things.
Home care involves attention to a patient on a one-to-one basis at the client's home. This makes it necessary to adapt to the particular physical condition and living situation of each client.
In the case of home care, the procedures and methods vary according to individual circumstances. Therefore, the need for Japanese language communication skills is also greater than in multi-resident facilities. That is the reason for the strict qualifications.
Meanwhile, there is a dire shortage of home care providers. For that reason, operators have been calling for a relaxation of the qualifications required for home care by foreign caregivers.
Moreover, we need to create a safe environment for both the individual clients receiving care and the workers providing it.
Bringing In Change
It seems reasonable to allow foreign professionals to provide home care under the same criteria as Japanese workers. Of course, the ability to communicate smoothly in Japanese is also necessary. In addition, a thorough understanding of the daily habits of Japanese is equally important.
The MHLW plans to require that businesses hiring foreign care workers ensure that they are properly trained concerning such things as how to communicate effectively with clients and about Japanese lifestyles.
Also in the report, experts are calling for the development of tablet devices and digital technology to facilitate communications in the types of emergencies that arise during a home visit. There is a need to establish effective guidelines and related standards, rather than leaving these up to individual businesses.
Anxious for Guidance
Home care businesses are also eager to receive practical guidance. Among the measures they should promote is the practice of having a highly experienced caregiver initially accompany a new foreign caregiver on a job.
Along with ensuring proper client care, we should not neglect the safety of caregivers. We need to put in place thorough measures to prevent harassment of caregivers at the homes they visit.
Japan is projected to need 2.72 million caregivers in FY2040, the year the number of people 65 and older is expected to peak in Japan. That is 570,000 more caregivers than were active in FY2022.
Hopefully, the MHLW will give more thought to how we can secure adequate human resources for all forms of care, not just home care. The time has come for urgently considering drastic measures. Certainly, that also includes further improvements to the working conditions of foreign workers.
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(Read the editorial in Japanese.)
Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
