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Interdisciplinary course to challenge stereotypes of old age
By: Yumi Wijers-Hasegawa
The Japan Times, March 10, 2002
Hiroshi Shibata wants to challenge the stereotypes of old age in Japan, where one-third of the population is expected to be 65 or over by the middle of the century.
"Society's general notions about someone's age, such as when to retire, have nothing to do with an individual's ability, just as so-called new adults at coming-of-age ceremonies may not be mature at all," the 64-year-old Obirin University professor said.
Next month, the Tokyo-based private university will start the country's first postgraduate course on interdisciplinary gerontology, led by Shibata, who is currently in the Department of Psychology, Health and Sports Science.
Shibata specialized in epidemiology and heart disease while a student at the University of Tokyo, developing an interest in phenomena that typically develop with age. He joined the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital in 1972 and later moved to the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology.
"In western societies, 'successful aging' has been a well-known concept for decades," the scholar said. "The United States, which has always been sensitive in dealing with discrimination like sexism and ageism, already has more than 40 such courses in different colleges."
In a recent book, Shibata said that more than 80 percent of elderly people can function independently in daily life.
This runs counter to the common belief in Japan that intelligence, physical strength and even character deteriorate after middle age, with most people eventually developing dementia or becoming bedridden.
What is more, while motion-related abilities decline with age, aspects such as experience, intelligence, and emotion can be integrated and melded together into "wisdom," something that can only be acquired with the accumulation and refinement of expertise over a long time, according to Shibata.
While Japan's policy on elderly care is not inferior to that of other developed countries, it focuses more on health care, seeing the elderly as being weak, he said.
"Japan lacks the view that the elderly need to remain independent, lead high-quality lives, and participate in society."
Contrary to the generally held belief in the West that the elderly in Japan are respected and integrated into society, a study Shibata conducted in the early 1990s showed that Japanese adults tend to hold more stereotypes toward the aged than their American counterparts. He added that a separate government survey in 1993 showed that the ratio of young people who intend to "take care of their old parents no matter what" is surprisingly low.
"Ageism, common among the young and middle-aged, is largely due to a lack of social education, including that in school," Shibata said, explaining that the course he is preparing aims to facilitate candidates' appreciation of successful aging "so that aging will be viewed not as regression but as a process to acquire wisdom."
The core subjects of the new course are geriatrics, psychology, sociology and social welfare. As electives, students can choose subjects such as thanatology, the study of understanding and accepting death, or reminiscence, a technique often used in group therapy where matters are looked back on with nostalgia and in which music, films, or one's own memories are shared and discussed, to help those suffering depression or dementia.
Starting a new course is a huge investment for a university, and although Shibata was confident of the need for such a curriculum in Japan, he was still happy to be able to prove it when 86 people applied for the course. The quota was 20.
"People with very strong academic backgrounds applied, such as university professors, teachers at vocational colleges and a hospital head nurse," he said, adding that sectors related to the elderly are becoming a huge market in an aging society.
"The government, which should most feel the need (for such measures), is always the last to act."
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© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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