Challenges of “Young Carer Support” in Japan and Role of Community-based Integrated Support Centers

Abstract

To clarify the challenges of young carer support among professionals engaged in community-based integrated care in the eastern area of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, as a basis for determining the role of community-based integrated support centers in such support. We conducted an open-ended web questionnaire survey, involving 87 professionals who had participated in a young carer support training seminar planned by a community-based integrated support center, and performed quantitative text analysis to identify the challenges of young carer support. Fifty-one professionals responded (response rate: 58.6%). The 5 most frequent words were led by “necessary” (32), followed by “collaboration” (27), “think” (26), “educational institution” (22), and “support” (17). Through co-occurrence network analysis, 4 network groups, , , , and , were formed. The results indicated the necessity of organizing support systems that enable the identification of young carers through the establishment of laws and systems, and promoting collaboration between the community and health, medical, welfare, and education fields to support young carers in communities. Community-based integrated support centers are expected to play a pivotal role as a base for facilitating such collaboration.