In-home Japanese Speaking Caregivers for Seniors

Demand for Japanese Caregivers in Canada

There is a significant population of elderly Japanese Canadians in Canada who want culture-sensitive care and prefer to speak in a Japanese dialect. As the demand for Japanese continues to grow globally in Europe, Japan and in Canada, so also will the demand for culture sensitive, Japanese speaking caregivers to provide traditional care for Japanese seniors.

The ideal Japanese speaking caregiver caring for a Japanese speaking senior would be diaspora from Japan. Today, Japanese speaking caregivers may be foreign workers working in Japan such as Korean, Indonesian, Filipino, Chinese, or Taiwanese diaspora who share similar values and even traditions even though they may not be of Japanese descent. Japanese speaking caregivers should be knowledgeable of Japanese traditions and customs and fluent in the required Japanese dialect. Especially important is that they understand the need to show respect to elders so they can assist families carry out their filial obligation to provide compassionate care to their elderly loved ones. Japanese speaking caregivers must know how to assist with personal care, help with daily household tasks, prepare Japanese meals, escort the elderly or disabled to medical or therapy appointments and provide companionship.

Cultural Competence of Japanese Home Care Workers

Understanding Japanese culture and what it has in common with other Asian cultures such as Korean, Indonesian, Filipino, Chinese, Taiwanese cultures help us to appreciate the cultural impact of engaging overseas Asians to provide care to Japanese Canadian seniors living in Canada. When caregivers become aware of the specific similarities, differences and subtle nuances, they can address the gaps and better cultivate relationships that promote respect and understanding to make Japanese elderly feel respected and culturally comfortable.

Differences have been observed between Okinawan, Ainu, and Burakumin caregivers from Japan. Caregivers from Okinawan are usually highly skilled in traditional caregiving practices which often involve cooking and cleaning. For example, they may prepare nutritious meals and make sure their wards get plenty of rest. Caregivers from Ainu bring a deep knowledge of traditional healing practices as well as herbal medicines that they use to treat physical ailments. Burakumin caregivers are characterized by their expertise in organizing events such as weddings or funerals according to ancient customs.

Language Skills of Japanese Caregivers

Japanese dialects can be difficult to speak and understand when it is not one’s mother tongue. It is preferable to use caregivers whose mother tongue is Japanese. Among caregivers of Japanese origin, there are three main types of dialects spoken: Tokyo dialect, Osaka-Kyoto dialect, and Okinawan dialect. Tokyo is the most widely spoken in Japan, making it the default language for most business interactions and everyday conversations with people outside of one’s region. Osaka-KyotGo represents an intermediate form between Tokyo and Okinawan speech. It has elements from both Tokyo and Okinawa but is often seen as more formal than either of those two languages. Finally, Okinawan is a distinct language developed on the island of Okinawa with its own vocabulary and grammar that evolved from proto-Ryukyuan languages over centuries.

Cultural Perspectives of Japanese in Canada

In Canada, Japanese home care workers are often faced with the unique challenge of caring for Japanese seniors traumatized by their immigration experience. This is especially true for Japanese seniors who migrated to Canada from Japan in pursuit of a better life but instead endured alienation and cultural displacement because of their Japanese ancestry. To effectively care for this generation of Japanese seniors, caregivers must take the needed time to understand the history and experiences that shaped a senior client’s life journey to build trust and gain insight into how to best address their needs. Through careful observation, active listening, and thoughtful, culture-sensitive dialogue caregivers can create relationships to support a sense of emotional belonging and facilitate closure.

Japan used to be a country famous for embracing modernity and technology while respecting its ancient traditions and culture. Ironically, Japan's industrial modernization movement led to low birth rates as Japanese people moved away to build careers. In parallel with this trend, traditional Japanese family structures started to break down because Japanese youth studying overseas chose to take up permanent residency in Canada and the U.S. instead of returning home after completing their studies to care for their aging parents. Today, Japan has a severe caregiver shortage. Caregivers in Japan are so hard to find that Japan has turned to robot technology and are offering competitive salaries for foreign workers to enroll in Japanese nursing schools and caregiver program to care for Japan’s growing elderly population. The recruitment of foreign Korean, Indonesian, Filipino, Chinese, or Taiwanese diaspora who share similar values and even traditions to care for Japan’s elderly has a viable alternative for lonely Japanese seniors who have no family to care for them.

The story of Japanese immigrants and Canadian citizenship is also marked with tragedy caused by the War Measures Act of 1942 that arose during WWII. The Act caused racial discrimination against Japanese Canadians and their children, labelling them ‘enemy aliens’ such that they targeted with violence, alienation, internment, work in forced labor camps separated from their families, and had their rights to vote stripped and their property and homes seized and confiscated without their consent. Japanese Canadians have since received a formal apology from the Canadian Government and some compensation for direct losses. Japanese immigrants initially worked on railways, in factories and as fishermen. The first Japanese settler lived in Victoria, British Columbia in 1877 followed by two waves of Japanese immigrants and their Canadian born descendants. Generation classifications provide a cultural appreciation of the generational history of Japanese in Canada: sei (一世) – The first generation of immigrants, born in Japan before moving to Canada. Nisei (二世) – The second generation, born in Canada to Issei parents not born in Canada. Sansei (三世) – The third generation, born in Canada to Nisei parents born in Canada. Yonsei (四世) – The fourth generation, born in Canada to Sansei parents born in Canada. Gosei (五世) – The fifth generation, born in Canada to Yonsei parents born in Canada. Today, many Japanese Canadians are found working in academics, politics and activism, athletics, architecture, the arts, music, media, film and broadcasting. Japanese Canadian communities promote cultural awareness of the Japanese Canadian experience, Japanese traditions and customs particularly around preserving the culture of caring for their elderly. Today, Japanese Canadian communities can be found all throughout Canada with greater populations in British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta.

Other Desirable Skills for Japanese Speaking Caregivers

Japanese speaking caregivers speak in the preferred Japanese dialect but must also understand the role non-verbal communication such as facial expression, hand gestures and body language plays in establishing a sense of harmony, trust, and rapport with their elderly home client. They know how to show respect and filial piety through deference and offers of assistance to the elderly without feeling offended or expecting to be asked. Caregivers must also recognize the differences in how men and women are esteemed in Japanese society and the use of gendered language. In general, men’s use of words and speech patterns are perceived as rough, vulgar, or abrupt, while those associated with women are considered more polite, more deferential, or "softer".

Japanese Sensitive Care Plan Considerations

The most common cause of illness and disability in Japanese elderly is stroke, followed by dementia, frailty due to aging, joint disorders, bone fracture, cancers and cardiac disease. Management of these conditions is primarily lifestyle and food driven. Traditional Japanese diets are considered relatively healthy based on rice, fish, miso soup, and pickled vegetables. Caregivers should be aware of dietary restrictions and preferences that their elderly clients may have due to health concerns or religious values. Traditional Japanese food should be prepared in a way that is healthy, safe, and enjoyable for the elderly individual. Older adults in Japan often take part in social activities, such as attending festivals and gathering with friends. They also enjoy taking walks around the neighborhood and engaging in sports such as golf or tennis. To keep elderly individuals engaged with their surroundings and active, caregivers should offer them opportunities to do so safely. This can include participating in physical activities like walking or tai chi classes tailored to elderly people's abilities. Additionally, caregivers should encourage the elderly to engage in mental activity through hobbies such as calligraphy or painting. Caregivers should strive to help older adults maintain meaningful relationships by arranging regular visits from family members or offering social outings with other seniors living nearby. Falls prevention is very important and caregivers should ensure in-home safety measures are in place to reduce cluttered pathways that could trip up an elderly person.

Finding Employment as a Japanese Home Care Provider

Asian Caregivers is a values-focused company that was established with a mission to connect a caring community of Asian language caregivers with clients seeking at home care for themselves or loved ones. Asian Caregivers envisions its online platform www.asiancaregivers.ca will become the virtual meeting place of choice where sincere, reliable, trustworthy culture-sensitive caregivers can promote themselves and provide the best care to the elderly who have embraced the choice to live at home.

Asian Caregivers understands how important it is to pair Japanese speaking in-home workers with compatible clients. To find a job as a Japanese speaking home care worker, personal support worker, or housekeeper join the Asian Caregivers online community and register. Please visit the Asian Caregivers platform and register for free now! https://www.asiancaregivers.ca/register_caregivers?caregivers/1