A master thesis from Aalborg University
Ethical Considerations and Dilemmas: Implementing Welfare Technology Practice into Elderly Nursing Homes in Japan from the Perspective of Caregivers
Author(s)
Term
4. Semester
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-05-27
Pages
85 pages
Abstract
With the development of technology, human life expectancy has been increasing. Japan is the leader of this global trend, and its declining birthrate and aging population has become more and more serious every year, by which pressures the social security and welfare system and the shortage of caregivers. As a solution to this demographic challenge, the concept of welfare technology attracts attention. By implementing digital devices, it is considered to improve efficiency and creates more advanced services. However, it is demanding to install them because of financial and ethical barriers. In order to grasp the core essence of this issue, this study used qualitative research methods to interview caregivers of nursing homes where digitalization has been promoted. Based on the data, a comparative analysis with extant literatures and Bourdieu's theory of capital revealed that those who are at the forefront of the digitalization believe that the ethical concerns that are commonly raised can be overcome by digitalization. The data generated from the in-depth interviews also exposed the deep essence of the Japanese nursing care industry; namely, an urgent need for organizational reform within each facility and a review of human resource training of caregivers. This is because the cultural capital and habitus of each individual defines the code of behavior. Similarly, it stressed the importance of social capital, which euphemistically suggests the significance of cultivating interchangeable capital. Thus, the study unraveled the milestones that the nursing care industry could follow: first, human resource training and organizational reform, and later, digitalization.
Keywords
Documents
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