Elderly Care Services :A comparative study in Japan and Sri Lanka

Abstract

Economic and social support and care of the elderly are changing in both Japan and Sri Lanka in view of breaking up of the traditional family system, changing lifestyles and activity patterns of young, adult and children. Elderly care services in Japan is well developed to cater to its growing number of elders who seeks care from outside the family. In Sri Lanka the Care services are emerging as a very prospective one due to the greater demand from its elderly population especially in the urban areas. In Sri Lanka where family values are strong and government funding is limited, elderly support and services are still largely dependent on the family. The majority of Sri Lankan aged is engaged in agricultural or casual work even under uncertain conditions or low wages because of the inadequacy of family income and social security benefits. There is a growing demand in the state as well as private sector for social security benefits in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, retirement income systems consists of pension schemes and provident funds both of which are not very successfully run Sri Lanka and Japan are regarded as a rapid population ageing societies in Asia under different demographic and socio - economic scenarios. The ageing process of the two countries derive several socio-economic implications, however the resistance to the consequences of population ageing depends on the economic and social strength of the country.