Survey Report】64.0% of elderly who are alone are considering 64.0% of single elderly are considering end-of-life planning. Anxiety about the future, such as "fear of causing inconvenience to others," Fear of dying alone" and "Fear of dementia" are among the concerns revealed.

~Survey on Attitudes toward End-of-Life Activities among Single Senior Citizens~.

2023.08.30 09:30

トリニティ・テクノロジー株式会社

　(Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kazuhiro Ma; hereinafter "Trinity Technology"), operator of "Smart Family Trust" and "Ohisapo," conducted a survey of 100 elderly men and women (65 years old or older) without a spouse or children to find out their views on end-of-life planning for single elderly persons. Trinity Technology, Inc. conducted a survey of 100 elderly men and women (65 years of age and older) who have no spouse or children.

Survey Summary

Survey on attitudes toward end-of-life planning among senior citizens who are alone

Survey Summary

Survey Summary: Attitude survey on end-of-life planning among senior citizens who are living alone

Survey method: Internet survey conducted by IDEATECH's research PR company "Lisapi(R)".

　　　　　Internet survey

Survey period: August 17, 2023 to August 18, 2023

Valid responses: Assets of 10 million yen or more

　　　　　100 elderly men and women (65 years old and over) without spouse or children

*Composition ratios were rounded to the first decimal place, so the total does not necessarily equal 100.

≪Conditions of use≫.

1. please indicate the name of "Ohisappo" as the source of the information.

If you use the information on your website, please provide the following link as the source of the information.

URL: https://sma-shin.com/ohisapo/

64.0% of elderly who are alone say they are thinking about end-of-life planning

　Q1. Please tell us about your consideration of end-of-life planning." (n=100), 13.0% answered "I am thinking about and actually preparing for end-of-life activities" and 51.0% answered "I am thinking about it.

Please tell us about your consideration of end-of-life planning.

Thinking about and actually preparing for end-of-life activities: 13.0%.

I am thinking about it: 51.0

Not yet thinking about it: 31.0% ・Don't know/unable to answer: 5.0

Don't know/unable to answer: 5.0%.

Concerns about end-of-life planning: "Concerns about inconveniencing others" was the most common concern, at 60%.

　Q2. What concerns do you have about end-of-life planning? (n=100)" (n=100), 59.0% answered "I don't want to bother others as much as possible", 50.0% answered "I am worried about dying alone, as no one will find me after I fall ill at home", and 35.0% answered "I am worried that I will not be able to live alone if I develop dementia". What do you think about your life at the end of life?

What concerns do you have about end-of-life planning? (multiple answers).

I don't want to bother others as much as possible about myself.

I don't want to bother others as much as I can.

Worried about developing dementia and not being able to live alone: 35.0%.

Worried about post-death tasks such as funerals, leaving bones, and organizing belongings after death: 25.0%.

Do not have anyone to talk to about life after death ：22.0% ・Worried about whether or not they will have enough money in the future

Worried about whether they will have enough money or be able to live on their pension: 21.0%.

Worried about entering a long-term care facility or being hospitalized without a guarantor: 17.0% ・Others: 1.0%.

Other ：1.0% ・Don't know/unable to answer ：8.0%

Don't know/ Can't answer: 8.0%.

■Guarantee system for moving into a private-pay nursing home or a housing facility for the elderly, 71.0% answered "Yes".

　Q3. Do you know that in most cases a guarantor is required when moving into a private-pay nursing home or serviced housing for the elderly? (n=100), 71.0% answered "Yes" and 27.0% answered "No".

Do you know that a guarantor is required in many cases when you enter a private-pay nursing home or serviced senior housing?

Know: 71.0% Know: 27.0% Don't know

Don't know ：27.0% ・Don't know

Don't know/ Cannot answer: 2.0%.

■About 40% have not secured a guarantor/service

　Q4. Do you already have a guarantor for your admission to a private-pay nursing home or serviced senior housing?" (n=100), 53.0% answered "Yes (relative, friend, etc.)", 3.0% answered "Yes (have already contracted a guarantor service)", and 37.0% answered "No".

Do you already have a guarantor when you enter a private-pay nursing home or serviced senior housing?

Yes (relative, friend, etc.): 53.0% Yes (guarantor service)

Yes (already contracted with a guarantor service): 3.0% No: 37.0

No: 37.0% ・Don't know/unable to answer: 7.0% ・I don't know

Do not know/unable to answer: 7.0%.

7% have already signed a voluntary guardianship contract.

　Q5. Have you decided on an adult guardian (voluntary guardianship) in case you should become ill with dementia in the future? (n=100), 87.0% answered "No" and 7.0% answered "Yes (voluntary guardianship agreement already signed).

Have you decided on an adult guardian (voluntary guardianship) in case you should become ill with dementia in the future?

Have decided (already signed a voluntary guardianship contract): 7.0%.

Have not decided: 87.0

Do you have a voluntary guardianship agreement in place?

About 30% have not decided who to ask to take care of their loved ones after their death.

　Q6. Do you have anyone you can ask to take care of your family's affairs after your death, such as the funeral, delivery of ashes, arrangement of belongings, and various cancellation procedures? (n=100), 58.0% answered "Yes (relatives, friends, etc.)," 5.0% answered "Yes (already signed up for post-death services)," and 32.0% answered "No."

Do you have anyone to whom you can ask for help after your death in regard to the funeral, delivery of ashes, arrangement of belongings, and various cancellation procedures?

Yes (relatives, friends, etc.): 58.0% Yes (postmortem paperwork)

Yes (already contracted for post-death services): 5.0

No: 32.0%.

Do not know/unable to answer: 5.0%.

About 60% are interested in "one-person support," which provides services such as funerals, cremation, arrangement of remains, and various cancellation procedures on behalf of family members.

　Q7. Are you interested in the "Hitorisama Support" service, which provides daily monitoring, guarantees of identity in nursing homes, voluntary guardianship, funeral services after death, storage of ashes, arrangement of belongings, and various cancellation procedures on behalf of family members, in order for elderly persons to live alone with peace of mind? (n=100), 11.0% responded "very interested" and 46.0% responded "somewhat interested.

Are you interested in the "one-person support" service, which provides daily monitoring, guarantees of identity in nursing homes, voluntary guardianship, funeral services after death, storage of ashes, arrangement of belongings, and various cancellation procedures on behalf of family members, in order for elderly persons to live alone with peace of mind?

Very interested: 11.0% Very interested: 46.0% Somewhat interested: 46.0%

Somewhat interested: 46.0

Not very interested: 27.0% ・Not interested at all: 5.0

Not at all interested: 5.0% ・Don't know/unable to answer: 11.0

Don't know/unable to answer: 11.0%.

About 60% are interested in "personal guarantees" among the one-person support services

　To those who answered "very interested" or "somewhat interested" in Q7, please tell us what you are interested in in "Q8. (n=57)" (n=57), 57.9% responded "Personal Guarantee," 56.1% responded "Postmortem Affairs Support," and 49.1% responded "Daily Life Affairs Support.

Please tell us what you are interested in in "One-person support." (Multiple responses) (Multiple responses)

Guarantor (service to act as a guarantor required for hospitalization or admission to an institution): 57.9%.

Post-death administrative support (after death, services to contact acquaintances, funeral, delivery of ashes, arrangement of belongings, and various cancellation procedures on behalf of the deceased): 56.1%.

Administrative support for daily life (support for procedures for admission and discharge from hospitals, admission and discharge from nursing care facilities, and procedures with government offices): 49.1%.

Voluntary guardianship (contract with a guardian to provide lifetime support for living, medical care, property management, etc. in the event of future dementia): 43.9%.

Daily monitoring (regular contact, introduction of a monitoring system, etc.): 42.1%.

Property management (services such as managing deposits and having legal experts such as judicial scriveners act as proxies for withdrawals and payments in cases such as long-term hospitalization, moving into a nursing home, or when a person is physically disabled and unable to walk): 38.6%.

Declaration of Death with Dignity (a service in which a person who is incurably ill and in the terminal stage of his or her illness writes a declaration to express his or her wish not to have life-prolonging measures that only prolong his or her death, and hands it over to the doctor in charge): 29.8%.

Other: 0.0%.

Do not know/unable to answer: 8.8%.

■ Summary

　This time, we conducted a survey of 100 elderly men and women (aged 65 or older) without a spouse or children with assets of ¥10 million or more, to gauge their attitudes toward end-of-life planning among single elderly persons.

　More than 60% of the respondents answered that they were "considering" end-of-life planning, and "not wanting to cause trouble for others" was the most common concern for end-of-life planning at 59.0%, followed by "fear of dying alone" and "fear of dementia and other illnesses. In addition, more than 70% of the respondents answered that they were aware of the guarantor system required for admission to a private nursing home or senior housing facility. Furthermore, while approximately 60% of respondents had a guarantor in place, only 7.0% had an adult guardian in place in case of dementia or other illness. About 60% of the respondents expressed interest in "one-person support," which involves looking after the life of an elderly person and performing procedures on behalf of a family member, with particular interest in "personal guarantees" and "post-death administrative support.

　The survey revealed that elderly singles without spouses or children are concerned about "inconveniencing others," "dying alone," and "becoming unable to live due to illnesses such as dementia" in their end-of-life activities. While many respondents were well aware of information on guarantors and were prepared, many were undecided about adult guardianship, revealing that many were interested in guarantees, postmortem affairs, and services to watch over their daily lives as a means of alleviating anxiety during end-of-life activities. The number of people considering the use of outside services as a means of end-of-life planning is expected to increase in the future.

■"Ohisappo" to stay close to family members in place of them

　In Japan, the number of elderly people who live alone is increasing along with the aging of the population and the rise in the percentage of unmarried people.

　By 2021, the number of elderly households headed by a single person or a married couple will exceed 15 million, of which approximately 17.2%, or 2.7 million households, will be childless.

　Ohisappo" was created to solve these issues.

Ohisappo" stays close to the elderly in place of family members

　Ohisappo" provides a "set of seven services" to support the elderly alone under the theme of "staying close in place of family members.

　This service combines seven services according to the customer's living conditions: monitoring, personal guarantees, administrative support for daily life, property management, voluntary guardianship, declaration of death with dignity, and administrative support after death, to provide support for elderly persons in place of their family members so that they can live with peace of mind.