Comparative Research of Care Workers in Australia and Japan at Nursing Homes for the Aged: Evaluated from Number of Steps during their Work and Sleeping Record

Aging in Japan is advancing at a globally unprecedented rate. Thus, more care workers are required. Instead, there is a serious shortage of care workers there, due to poor treatment and working conditions. In 2013, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has noted that the issue of backaches among Japanese care workers had become serious in the previous 10 years. It is obvious that care workers are exposed to higher risk to the possible occupational accident. The purpose of this study is to clarify care workers’ labor conditions in Japan to contribute to the improvement of their occupational health and safety. In this study, the authors conducted a survey of 20 nursing homes in the Kinki Area of Japan and 7 Australian nursing homes in Victoria together with a survey to workers involved in care working to conduct physical measurements and examined the impact that the care labor environment has on care workers themselves, by determining the number of steps they take during their work and their sleeping conditions, then compared the results. The results showed that Japanese Care Workers have much harder working conditions than Australian Care Workers do. Although the lifestyle, culture and labor environments of these two countries are different, it is important for the Japanese to introduce technology and practice work sharing, as well as taking turns and working different hours, as Australians do to relieve caretaking burdens.