ABSTRACT
This chapter will focus on social work with older people in Japan—the world's most aged society, where persons above 65 years old comprise 28.4% of the total population. Due to the increased aging rate, social work professionals and policymakers have paid particular attention to an increasing number of people who need kaigo, or long-term care work services. The quality of kaigo became a significant factor for ensuring the quality of gerontological social work in Japan, however, many schools teaching social work and kaigo have faced significant decreases in enrollment, as well as chronic shortages of labor in the field. Recently, an increasing number of international students and migrants with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds are working as kaigo workers in collaboration with community social workers.
After explaining the unique context and relationship between social work and kaigo within gerontological social work in Japan, we will introduce a brief history on how Information and Communication Technology can be used and provide a case study related to this context. We will predict future opportunities and challenges in embracing technology to improve social work practices in Japan not only with older people, but also for any targeted groups within their communities.
