迅速增长的老年人口正在成为许多国家严重的社会问题。一些国家已经成功地找到了解决这个问题的方法，但其他国家却没有。日本是后一个国家之一。虽然日本有着最高的预期寿命和老年人的良好生活质量的声誉，但在解决这个问题上却没有成功。与其他工业化国家相比，日本在老年残疾人、长期卧床或需要长期照护的项目上落后。当前的经济危机加剧了这种情况，因为政府正在削减对老年项目的资助。这个问题深深地与我产生共鸣，我希望有朝一日能找到解决办法。正因为这个原因，我正在申请波士顿大学社会工作研究生课程：我寻求返回日本并为社会工作服务工作所需的技能和知识。
Boston University Social Masters
The rapidly growing elderly population is becoming a serious social problem in many countries. Some countries have been successful at finding solutions for this problem but others have not. Japan is one of the latter countries. Although Japan has one of the highest life expectancy rates and a reputation for good quality of life for its elderly population, it has been unsuccessful at addressing this problem. Compared to other industrialized countries, Japan lags behind in programs for elders who are physically disabled, bedridden or in need of long term care. The current economic crisis is exacerbating this situation as the government is cutting funding for elder programs. This problem resonates deeply with me, and I hope to someday work on finding a solution. It is for this reason that I am applying to the graduate program in social work at Boston University: I seek the skills and knowledge I need to return to Japan and work for a social work service.My interest in the elderly dates back to my childhood. Growing up with my grandparents greatly influenced my values and personality: they taught me to be self-motivated and disciplined. Their resilience and support has helped me to persevere even when confronted with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Because of their kindness toward me I have a deep respect for them and for elderly people in general. This is what motivates me to become involved in the field of social work. Traditionally in Japanese society, the care of one's parents is believed to be the children's duty. After World War II, such traditions have evolved due to changes in family structure. No longer is the eldest child the only one to inherit his parent's property, and two-income families have become the norm. These changes have left Japanese people at a loss as to how to care for their aging parents. The current response to this problem seems to be hospitalization. Families increasingly hospitalize their elders who are physically disabled, bedridden or in need of long-term care. These individuals are usually transferred to nursing homes, but because of sparse accommodations and a one to two year wait list, they end up staying with family members who are often ill equipped to care for them. As a result, there are a number of incidences of elder abuse by family members and elder suicide. Also, there are many other elderly people who live alone--every year, many of them die with no one, not even their family members, having knowledge of their death.
