ブックタイトル人道ジャーナル第3号

概要

人道ジャーナル第3号

The Journal of Humanitarian Studies Vol. 3, 2014“I could not get enough supplies because I was not living in the evacuation sites. I needed to live with limitedsupplies and without electricity for a long time.”3.2 Addressing health and care needsMeeting health needs also proved challenging for older people living in cramped and overcrowded evacuationshelters. Difficulties were reinforced by the specific nature of the Japanese health system, which provides limitedprimary health care access, resulting in a heavy reliance on hospitals to treat all aliments, irrespective of severity.In the heavily affected areas of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima Prefectures the destruction of many medical andcare facilities by the powerful waves resulted in limited health care access.（7）Hospitals were overwhelmed by the influx of emergency patients as well as those with non-urgent but importantneeds, such as treatment of hypertension, diabetes, and gastroenteritis.（8）Volunteer health teams helped addressthe initial service gaps in the aftermath of the disaster, yet 27% of those surveyed reported difficulties in obtainingmedical assistance, and 29% reported difficulties accessing hospitals. Additional volunteer health services havenow ceased, posing challenges for those who find it more difficult to reach central medical facilities.Furthermore, it proved extremely difficult to accommodate and care for older people with physical and cognitiveimpairments within evacuation centres due to the limited access to proper care services. Only 34% of the affectedcities had prepared long-term care facilities to be equipped as evacuation shelters for individuals requiring specialcare. As a result, many older people with physical and cognitive impairments lived with the general public in thesame evacuation shelters with a heavily compromised level of support.3.3 Changing needs of older evacueesAs older people’s stay in evacuation centres lengthened, their concerns increasingly focused on ensuring a degreeof comfort and privacy. One older woman reported that,“It was tiring not to have privacy during the time when Iwas at the evacuation shelter and not being able to take a bath for a long time was difficult”.While the distributions improved their access to basic needs, older people continued to report problems accessingtoilet facilities and medication. One older person reported,“It was challenging to go places like the hospital because transportation was not easily available for the peoplewho did not drive.”Quality of food also persisted as an issue of concern for 21% of respondents.3.4 Roles of older people during evacuationChallenging though life was in the evacuation shelter, older people also mentioned positive aspects of theexperience. They reported being able to develop new friendships and re-establish close relationships with those intheir community. 16% reported they felt their roles were valued, and they appreciated being able to share theirwisdom and experience and to teach younger generations to live with limited resources. For example, olderpeople were able to show others how to use a bicycle pump to draw petrol when there was no electricity, to cookrice with a kamado（traditional stove）, and where to find edible plants in mountain areas when they did not haveenough food. As two respondents said:“I lost everything on that day, but I still have people around me,”“I am so grateful when people say‘thank you’for the simple things that I did. I felt that we took people’s kindnessfor granted before this disaster.”92人道研究ジャーナルVol. 3, 2014