Community-Based Integrated Care System for People with Mental Illness in Japan: Evaluating Location Characteristics of Group Homes to Determine the Feasibility of Daily Life Skill Training

Abstract

As a global trend in mental health and welfare services, the community is increasingly considered to play a central role in the lives of people with mental illness. Group homes (GHs) are used globally as a means of promoting deinstitutionalization and establishing community life. The Japanese government issued a call to build Community-Based Integrated Care Systems for people with mental illness (CICSM). Therefore, we evaluated the location characteristics of GHs to determine the feasibility of daily life skills training, using a Geographic Information System (GIS). The target area was Ishikawa Prefecture. The size of everyday living areas (ELAs) for older adults was set at 1.8 km, and at 2.5 km for adults. We counted the number of service providers (SPs). Two GHs in the adult ELA and two GHs in the older adult ELA did not have SPs. Eight GHs had only one SP in their ELAs. Results showed that GHs with no or a few SPs in their ELAs are disadvantaged in shopping skills training. These findings may help people with mental illness in various countries develop support plans to effectively provide daily life training, considering the characteristics of the geographical environment and social resources around their living bases.

Factors Related to the Willingness of People with Mental Health Illnesses Living in Group Homes to Disclose Their Illness to Supporters during Disaster Evacuation: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…According to a 2018 nationwide survey of group homes in Japan, 26.1% of PMHI were then in their 50s, 24.9% in their 60s, and 22.7% in their 40s [ 28 ]. The distribution of our participants in the present study aligned with their sample and thus likely represents the general population of PMHI living in group homes in Japan.…”

“…Furthermore, according to that national survey, 36.7% of people lived in a hospital before entering a group home, 35.5% lived at home, 7.8% in another residential facility, and 7.7% in another group home. In recent years, the number of group homes has increased in Japan owing to the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric hospitals [ 28 ]. The role of a group home is to provide life skills training to patients who have been discharged from a psychiatric hospital; typically, they are worried about living in the community immediately after their discharge, and their life skills are too immature to allow them to live on their own [ 29 ].…”

“…The role of a group home is to provide life skills training to patients who have been discharged from a psychiatric hospital; typically, they are worried about living in the community immediately after their discharge, and their life skills are too immature to allow them to live on their own [ 29 ]. According to the national survey mentioned above, the most common place for PMHI to live immediately before entering a group home was a hospital, followed by their home, another facility, or another group home [ 28 ]. Therefore, given the recent wave of deinstitutionalization, these groups can be considered generally similar.…”

Evaluation of Everyday Living Areas for Deinstitutionalized Community-Living People with Mental Illness

“…Using the CICS as a reference, the government identified the need to establish a community-based integrated care system for people with mental illness (CICSM) [14,15]. Whereas the target population of the CICS is older people, that of the CICSM is people with mental illness of all ages (from children to older people) [16]. The CICSM is a framework for the comprehensive provision of medical care, disability welfare/nursing care, housing, social participation (employment), mutual help in the community, and education.…”

Smart Solutions for Diet-Related Disease Management: Connected Care, Remote Health Monitoring Systems, and Integrated Insights for Advanced Evaluation

“…Integration of mental health support: It is critical to address the psychological and emotional components of managing a condition. Including mental health services, such as virtual therapy or mindfulness applications, can encourage people to manage their illness more skilfully [64].…”