日本老人福利政策及其对中国的启示

日本进入老龄化社会较早,其老年人口占总人口的比例在亚洲最高,政府制定了覆盖范围广泛、相对比较完善的老人福利政策;中国自2000年进入老龄化社会以来,各项老人福利政策在制定和不断的完善中。日本的老人福利政策对中国的启示主要包括:要重视老人福利政策的研究,为具体政策的制定提供科学依据;将老年人心理健康及精神慰藉纳入有关的法规、政策中;培养社会化、专业化的服务队伍;重视老人特有的生命意义、生存价值问题;重视发挥老年人自身的作用。

Japanese Social Welfare Policies for the Aged and Implications on Policy Making in China

With the highest proportion of ageing population in Asia,Japan has evolved into an ageing society earlier than many other countries.Compared to the other Asian countries,Japan has established more extensive and comprehensive social welfare policies for the senior citizens.Since 2000,faced with the fast-growing ageing population in China,the government has made great efforts to formulate and improve a wide range of social welfare policies.Meanwhile,China is likely to gain insights by referring to the Japanese experience,which may include the following aspects—highlighting research on social welfare policies for the old to facilitate evidence-based policy making;incorporating the older adults’ mental health and spiritual comfort into relevant laws,regulations and policies;recognizing old people’s self-efficacy,existence and meaning of life;and training professional and socialized workers to deliver quality services for the aged.