To be honest, I had not really paid much attention to the job of care manager until that time. When I was working as a visiting home helper, I was certainly aware of their existence, but I thought of them as distant figures, hidden behind computer monitors in the back of the office. There were also care managers at group homes, but in this case, they often worked on the floor as care workers, so they did not seem special—almost no different from us. I thought their job would actually be harder, since they also had to come up with care plans. However, while working in the field of elderly care for several years, I had studied various aspects of the subject—such as the welfare of the elderly, and in particular, what kind of society would allow elderly people with dementia to live happily—through the general training course for certified psychiatric social workers and while completing psychology courses at the Open University of Japan to qualify for the Certified Psychologist credential awarded by the Japanese Psychological Association. As a result, I came to feel that I wanted to be involved as a care manager in creating care plans for elderly people with dementia, with the aim of helping them live fulfilling and happy lives. In reality, I often had serious doubts about how much I could accomplish as a care manager within the framework of the current long-term care insurance system. However, it was precisely for that reason that I hoped I could at least be of some help, however small, to the elderly, especially those with dementia.
(translated version of the post on October 18, 2022)
これまでケアマネジャーという職種に注目してきたことは、正直なところ、私自身あまりなかったと思います。訪問介護ヘルパーの時は、確かにケアマネの存在は認識していたものの、事務所の奥にいる、コンピューターのモニターの陰に隠れた遠い存在だと思っていました。グループホームにもケアマネはいましたが、しかしこの場合は逆に、ケアマネ自身も介護職員としてフロアで勤務していることが多かったと思うので、私たちのような介護職員とほとんどかわりのない、特別な存在には見えませんでした。ケアプランを考えなければならないだけ忙しくなって大変なのではないかと思っていました。しかしながら、これまで一応数年間介護の現場に立って、高齢者の福祉、特に、認知症高齢者が幸福に生きていくことができる社会とはどのような社会なのかといったようなことを、例えば精神保健福祉士一般養成課程ですとか、放送大学で認定心理士の資格を取得していく過程で、いろいろと勉強していくなかで、私自身、高齢者、特に認知症高齢者の幸福な生活を目指して、実際に認知症高齢者のケアプランの作成にケアマネとして関わりたいと思うようになっていたこともあったと思います。実際のところ、現行の介護保険制度という枠組みの中で、ケアマネとしてどれだけのことができるのかということには、大いに疑問に思うことも多々あったとは思うものの、それだからこそ微力ながら、実際に高齢者、特に認知症高齢者の役に立てればいいなあと思ったのでした。
(2022年10月18日のポストを再掲）