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Old age and care in a rural town
In depopulated rural Japan, many older people live alone, often with children in distant cities. A fall or a stay in hospital can change everything: the nearest hospital may be an hour away, and returning home on crutches to an old house with steps and uneven floors is hard. Care is shared among family, neighbors, local volunteers and public services. Japan's long-term care insurance (介護保険) funds home help, day services and equipment such as wheelchairs, and local welfare commissioners (民生委員) check on people living alone. In small towns, much still depends on neighbors who look in, bring meals and keep an eye on the house. The grammar of this lesson is the grammar of sudden events and their consequences: や否や, を余儀なくされる, ずじまい, と思いきや and にせよ.