Specified Nonprofit Corporation Tonari no Kaigo aims to prevent family relationships from breaking down due to long-term care, providing on-site care seminars at companies, individual care counseling, and information dissemination to create a society where everyone can spend their final days naturally with their families. We spoke with Mr. Kawauchi, the Representative Director.

　　　　　Long-term care seminar at a company

Please tell us about your career and what inspired you to start Tonari no Kaigo.

When I was working as a home care worker and at a day service facility specializing in dementia care, I often witnessed the difficulties faced by caregivers, such as families struggling to provide care for their loved ones. It was very shocking and I also realized that I might face the same challenges if I were in their shoes, which made me deeply aware of the difficulties of caregiving. In fact, although my parents also worked in the long-term care and welfare field, I was working at a foreign consulting firm, during which I once led business restructuring, which involved making difficult decisions such as layoffs. This made me realize that I wanted to work in a field where I could directly support people and led me to choose a career in caregiving. However, witnessing the current state of care firsthand, I began to wonder if it might be possible to offer assistance at an earlier stage—before individuals reach the point of sending out distress signals like "Please help me." This led me to launch the voluntary organization "Tonari no Kaigo" in 2008, which later became a nonprofit corporation in 2014.

Could you share with us your most challenging and most positive experiences?

When I started our activities, I wanted to change the sense of stagnation in the long-term care field, but I was unsure where to focus and what to do specifically. I studied welfare and long-term care at university and abuse of people requiring long-term care by their families was seen as too profound a problem to be handled and considered an untouchable area. Even I felt hesitant to tackle abuse prevention. However, I knew no good would come from running from the situation and I felt strongly that I couldn't continue working in the long-term care industry while turning a blind eye. I couldn't pretend not to see the problem when it was so obvious nor was I satisfied with just reporting those cases where I discovered specific acts of abuse. As a result, I hypothesized that introducing "early support" would be effective. Through meeting various people, I arrived at the idea of having the abuse prevention activities take the form of support in the workplace, and as I pursued that direction, I learned how to run the business properly. My only desire was to prevent elder abuse, and so I’ve come to feel very satisfied with having this as the focus of the charity’s cause.

Representative Kawauchi and his grandmother Hideko-san

How is the donation from FIT used?

The revised Childcare and Family Care Leave Act will be implemented in stages starting in April 2025, introducing new obligations for companies. However, it was observed that many companies have not yet adequately given consideration nor put in place structures, particularly in their human resource departments, towards boosting literacy in balancing work and caregiving. With this situation in mind, we undertook the creation of explanatory videos and promotional activities to help companies understand how to respond to the revised law. With the funds from the FIT donation, we were able to, in a timely manner, implement a video campaign targeting companies nationwide that are proactively considering ways to enable their employees to balance work and caregiving.

What kind of support can we provide?

We would like to work alongside everyone to continue spreading accurate information about long-term care. This year, we created explanatory videos based on recent legal reforms. Through videos and other media, we hope to promote understanding and create a society where people can communicate with their families before they face long-term care and maintain appropriate relationships. We believe that the first step is for each of us to take ownership of this issue.

What kind of activities do you plan to take on in the future?

We provide long-term care seminars and individual consultations on balancing work and caregiving at companies, and disseminate information through books and radio programs related to family caregiving. We aim to continue delivering more fundamental support as a nonprofit organization to those we have been supporting while also recognizing the value of our current situation that lets us operate our business by addressing and resolving issues on a daily basis. Additionally, in recent years, we have been given opportunities to provide input on policy initiatives. For example, we contributed our opinions to a study group at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) that was developing guidelines for supporting the balance between work and caregiving. Through such activities, we also aim to play a role in encouraging more players to join the field of supporting the elderly and those in need of care.

On-site long-term care consultation at a company

What is your final message to those reading this article?

Caring for family members involves facing them head-on and maintaining an appropriate distance, which is not necessarily a difficult, painful, or challenging task for caregivers. It can also be an experience that teaches them how to help their loved ones live the life they want and provides them with valuable lessons for their own lives. Caregivers may ask themselves, "How can I help my parents live their lives in a way that is true to who they are?" Caring for family members also gives caregivers another opportunity to consider and reflect on their own values and goals by asking themselves, "How do I want to live my life?" Generally speaking, compared to childcare, caregiving is considered to span a much greater diversity across its individual cases. In Japan, there is perhaps a deep-rooted notion that caring for one's parents is something one must do oneself. At NPO Tonari no Kaigo, we conduct over 700 individual consultations each year, but there is no simple distinction between "good" and "bad" caregiving. I understand that maintaining an appropriate relationship is challenging precisely due to it being a deeply family issue, but at the same time, I believe that a good parent-child relationship is likely the only universal criterion for evaluating care. While the hardships of care often dominate discussions, we are committed to outreach activities aimed at creating a society where families can maintain their relationships without being torn apart by care, and where everyone can live naturally and true to themselves until the end of their lives. We hope you will all continue to support us in this endeavor.

Representative Director Kawauchi (Top center) [Others from top left] FIT 2025 Organizing Committee members Kobayashi-san, Hamada-san, Onishi-san, Yamamoto-san, and Nagai-san

Specified Nonprofit Corporation Tonari no Kaigo
https://www.tonarino-kaigo.org/

[Video for management and HR departments] Explanation of revised law and corporate obligations
https://youtu.be/oAqUM3wYmyg

[Training video for employees ①] How to utilize support systems and points to note
https://youtu.be/7NuUhMFE7pI

[Training video for employees ②] Explanation of the basics and preparations for caregiving
https://youtu.be/9mpocmqz2mg

[Training video for employees ③] Interview with a caregiver | Guest: Rie Shibata
https://youtu.be/3H3yCKT9trk