Equipment at the Special Nursing Homes for the Elderly: A Workplace Survey of New Nursing Homes in Osaka Prefecture

The number of those who need nursing care and the workers who provide it have been increasing year after year. In April 2000, the public nursing care insurance system was enacted by the Japanese government. After its enaction, care equipment came under scrutiny, but the situation regarding the installation of equipment is not fully understood. In order to understand the present state of care equipment in nursing facilities for the elderly, we conducted a workplace and interview survey. The surveyed facilities were 10 special nursing homes for the elderly in Osaka Prefecture which were established after April 2002. The average number of elderly residents was 79.0, the average value of degree of care was 3.52, and the average number of caregivers was 28.3 per facility. We found all facilities had installed some kinds of bathing equipment: stretcher type, 9 facilities; bath-chair type, 8 facilities. In the facilities with bath-chairs, 6 facilities had special bathtubs, and 6 facilities had general bathtubs. However, all facilities had the working principle that transfer should be done manually, and the equipment for transfer such as a lifts, a transfer and roller board were not be installed. In changing diapers, bed height adjustment was not possible. And the Japanese standard type of wheelchair has a non-detachable armrest, creating a structural barrier when transferring elderly people from a wheelchair to a toilet seat. At all facilities the basis of care was that caregivers should do it manually. In particular, all facilities had only a weak recognition of the risks of transfer. This investigation shows that facilities for the elderly should rethink elderly care based on a reduction of care load and most importantly protection of caregivers' health. (San Ei Shi 2006; 48: 49-55)