title: Questions of distributive justice: public health nurses' perceptions of long-term care insurance for elderly Japanese people.
abstract: This study examines public health nurses' perceptions and concerns about the implications of Japan's new long-term care insurance law concerning care provision for elderly people and their families. Respondents voiced their primary concern about this law as access to services for all elderly people needing care, and defined their major responsibility as strengthening health promotion and illness prevention programmes. Although wanting to expand their roles to meet the health care, social and public policy advocacy needs of elderly persons and their families, respondents also stated their concern for the possible lack of enough resources for this expansion to support family caregivers adequately. They viewed their first function as developing collaborative relationships with local government officials to help to assure sufficient resources to provide the necessary foundation for long-term care programmes to deliver services to all those in need. These concerns fall within the larger ethical issue of distributive justice in a society based on the obligations of the state to citizens and the family to its members, especially elderly relatives, who, according to traditional Japanese values, retain respect.
authors: Nagano College of Nursing, 1694 Akaho Street, Komagane, Nagano 399-4117, Japan.
authors: Lou Ellen
authors: LE
authors: Barnes
authors: Kiyomi
authors: K
authors: Asahara
authors: Anne J
authors: AJ
authors: Davis
authors: Emiko
authors: E
authors: Konishi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000941:ethics; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000941:ethics* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007353:Insurance, Long-Term Care / Q000941:ethics* / Q000592:standards; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011637:Public Health Nursing / Q000941:ethics* / Q000592:standards; D012935:Social Justice; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires