長者互助

Recently the NHK News reported the following:

職後の生きがいや健康問題など、高齢の世代が抱える悩みに同じ世代の人たちが答える電話相談が、２６日と２７日、全国８か所で行われます。 この一斉相談は、高齢の世代が充実した生活を送れるよう、講演会を開いたり、地域活動の中心となる人を養成したりしている「全国シニアライフアドバイザー協会」が、毎年行っているものです。運営に当たっているのは、ほとんどが高齢世代の人たちで、介護や年金といった制度や、高齢者の住まい、健康問題などについて、専門家から研修を受けた人たちが電話相談に応じます。最近は、男性の高齢者から「妻を亡くしたあと、外に出ようとしても気が合う人が見つからない」といった、孤立感を訴える相談が目立つということです。

On the 26th and 27th, eight locations in the country will appoint old age people to do telephone counseling for the same generation old people, both parties may be facing similar worries on retirement life and on their health conditions etc. In its yearly coming together meeting, the "Nationwide Senior Life Adviser Society" holds lectures so that the aged generation may spend their life fully, and to train people to become the central point of regional activities. Most of its activities are for the aged generation, including telephone counseling done by professionally trained people on topics such as nursing, pension system, senior citizen's accommodation and health matters etc. Recently, in the counseling, the popular complaint made by male senior citizens is on feeling isolation "after the death of my wife, I cannot find someone that I can get along even if I go out to try".

As far as telephone counseling for the aged is concerned, I think it is a good idea that both the counselor and the client are from the same generation. At least it would reduce the distance in thinking between these two parties.