[Balance in Disaster Preparedness between Public, Self-, and Mutual Help for Home-Cared Individuals]

At present, when it is predicted that large-scale disasters may occur, repletion and reinforcement of disaster preparedness are required. For disaster preparedness, a balance between public, self-, and mutual help is important. However, designated hospitals and their support systems were placed importance in medical care during disasters, and preparedness in regard to home care has not been discussed sufficiently. The purpose of this study is to clarify preparations that home-visit nursing stations may implement, states of support for self-help of cared persons and their families and mutual help such as of communities, in home-visit nursing stations in the areas where large-scale damages by Tokyo Inland Earthquake and Nankai Trough Earthquake are assumed. We found that although the preparation of home-visit nursing stations has been progressive, the supports for self-help of cared persons and their families and for mutual help such as that involving communities have been insufficient. The findings indicated that a balance in preparedness has not been achieved thus far. From this study, we could obtain useful documents to enrich and reinforce future preparations.