Effects of the Change in Working Status on the Health of Older People in Japan

Abstract

BackgroundWorking at old ages is regarded as a good way to keep one’s health according to the idea of productive aging. However, there is not enough evidence yet whether retirement is good or bad, or the kind of effects it has on the health of older adults aged 65 and over. We examined it by using a recent data of Wako city, a suburb area near Tokyo in Japan.MethodsOne thousand seven hundred sixty-eight participants answered to 3 waves of survey questionnaires: 2008, 2010, and 2012, successively. We considered 3 indicators of health; self-rated health, mental health (GDS15) and HLFC (Higher-Level Functional Capacity: TMIG-IC). In cross-sectional analysis, we compared these 3 indicators by three groups: full-time worker, part-time worker, and non-worker. In longitudinal analysis, we compared these three indicators by two groups: subjects who successively worked in 2008, 2010, 2012, and subjects who worked in 2008 but retired before 2010. We used one-way and two way repeated measures ANCOVA for these analyses, respectively.ResultsIt was significantly clear that retirement worsened both mental health and HLFC in people aged 65 years and over; especially, mental health worsened rapidly and HLFC gradually. However, these indicators didn’t worsen in subjects who changed from full-time jobs to part-time jobs. Quitting from part-time jobs deteriorated mental health gradually and HLFC moderately compared to full-time jobs.ConclusionThe results support the activity theory that older adults who quit from full-time jobs deteriorated both mental health and HLFC, though at different speeds. If they make a transit to part-time jobs, the deterioration would be moderate. It shows that working is an effective way of social participation for older people aged 65 years and over in Japan.

Social Participation and Functional Decline: A Comparative Study of Rural and Urban Older People, Using Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study Longitudinal Data

“…This is the first longitudinal study to compare work with other community organizations by defining work as a type of social participation. Previous longitudinal studies focusing on the relationship between work and health outcomes among older people have examined work alone [20,36,37], and comparisons with other community organizations have been cross-sectional studies [38]. Given the current challenges posed by a rapidly declining birthrate and aging population, it is necessary to develop a social structure where many older people work [39].…”

“…This study showed that working support and improvement of working environment could be public health policies that would prevent the need for the provision of long-term care in rural and urban areas. In longitudinal studies of work and health outcomes [20,36,37], work is generally considered good for health. However, poor-quality work [36] is not good for health; therefore, additional analysis is necessary, since this research did not consider the type of work.…”

Beneficial effect of laughter therapy on physiological and psychological function in elders

“…One important finding of this study was a significant reduction in BP and HR by regular laughter intervention (Figure a,b). This reduction is considered to be induced by parasympathetic activation followed by relaxation and reduced stress by laughter therapy, because early reports demonstrated that humorous stimulation by a funny movie or happy laughter had a beneficial influence on physiological responses determined by BP and HR via autonomic responses (Minami et al, ; Nezu, Nezu, & Blissett, ). Reduced stress by laughter therapy was also confirmed by lowered levels of stress hormones in this study.…”

Living well in older age: what can we learn from the Japanese experience?

“…We observed older people in urban areas working in paid and unpaid roles in shops, restaurants, religious shrines and tourist centres. In rural areas older peoples' work involves farming and fishing (Minami et al 2015). Unemployment is associated with worse health outcomes in both European and East Asian states (Chuang et al 2011).…”

“…Rapid cultural changes in Japan have seen the position of older people change from traditionally expected 'withdrawal from life' and dependency within family-orientated care based on values of filial responsibility, to that of 'active ageing', more nuclear families, flexible approaches to eldercare and the role of older family members as a form of 'safety net' in an economic crisis (Wilinska and Anbacken 2013). Minami et al (2015) found that retirement had a damaging effect on both mental health and activities of daily living and suggested that work of any form has health promoting benefits, mainly due to its impact on social inclusion. In Japan voluntary work is currently promoted through rewards including vouchers and holidays, while future policy will promote work opportunities as central to a range of solutions designed to encourage social participation (Minami e al 2015).…”