#Japan #Tokyo #elderly care #Single Living #Akari Guarantee

Akari Guarantee's Role in Supporting Elderly Singles

In a recent seminar held by the Minato Ward Community Comprehensive Support Center, attorney Yuki Shimizu, the representative of Akari Guarantee, addressed numerous care managers. His talk on "Support for Those Without Relatives" used legal insights alongside real-life examples to underscore the increasing needs of elderly singles in today's society.

As the number of single elderly individuals surges, currently surpassing 8 million, projections indicate that this figure may reach around 10.8 million by 2050. Alarmingly, approximately 4.5 million of these individuals may find themselves classified as "lonely refugees" in their later years, indicating a pressing need for supportive measures.

Many elderly individuals lack close companions who can assist them in daily life. Consequently, care managers are increasingly expected to perform a range of duties that extend beyond traditional caregiving roles. These responsibilities often include companionship during medical visits, ensuring personal guarantees during hospital admissions, managing finances, and handling post-mortem affairs, which are not covered under the national long-term care insurance system. These additional tasks have come to be known as "shadow work," often requiring the manager to perform unpaid labor.

Among the initiatives gaining traction in this context is the "Elderly Lifelong Support" program. This program aims to provide essential services like financial management and post-mortem arrangements, with a particularly strong emphasis on "guarantee services for individuals without relatives". This service acts as a stand-in guarantor for elderly individuals accessing medical institutions or care facilities when they lack family support.

Akari Guarantee remains committed to collaborating with local governments and care managers to support individuals facing solitude and isolation, ensuring that all elderly individuals can transition into their later years with confidence and peace of mind via a reliable and secure guarantor service.

What is Akari Guarantee’s Lifelong Support Service?

As Japan faces rapid aging, the numbers of single elderly individuals and those without relatives are steadily rising. By 2050, seniors without children are expected to exceed 10 million, and it’s projected that over 4 million of these will be without family ties. Consequently, the inability to secure a "guarantor" during hospitalization or caregiving admissions—a role traditionally filled by family—has become a significant barrier for many elderly citizens in accessing vital services.

Over the years, the role of providing guarantees during hospital stays and handling post-mortem processes has shifted away from families, leading to an increased demand for professional guarantor services. As a result, there has been a significant increase in the number of companies offering these services, stepping in to fulfill roles once held by family members.

However, the industry faces serious challenges ranging from a lack of regulatory oversight, leading to insufficient consumer protection, to an uptick in contract disputes such as unreturned deposits and service non-fulfillment. With data from the National Consumer Affairs Center showing that inquiries related to guarantee services have tripled in the last five years, cases of financial disputes, including refund issues at termination and service failures, are increasingly becoming common.

Akari Guarantee is actively addressing these problems by collaborating with legal and healthcare experts to provide services that customers can trust. A core team made up of lawyers and judicial scriveners, alongside health and care specialists, works to cater to the diverse needs of each elderly individual, offering high-quality, comprehensive support including debt guarantees and post-mortem procedures. Furthermore, the team collaborates closely with nurses and care managers to provide customers with a wealth of support services, including emergency assistance.

In addition to maintaining adherence to guidelines established by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, Akari Guarantee is dedicated to ensuring transparency in service offerings and costs, as well as thorough explanations of contracts by experts at the time of signing, as part of their commitment to responsible business practices.

Furthermore, Akari Guarantee has contributed to the establishment of Japan's first industry association, the Nationwide Association of Elderly Lifelong Support Service Providers, which is expected to launch in November 2025. Their mission is to provide a reliable guarantor service that allows all elderly individuals to enjoy their later years with confidence.

Our Target Audience

• - Elderly individuals living alone without supportive relatives
• - Couples without children
• - Families who are distant or whose relationships are strained
• - Individuals in their 40s to 60s considering end-of-life planning
• - Working generations supporting aging parents (risk diversification)

Common Concerns Addressed

• - The need for a guarantor due to lack of family
• - Avoiding the burden of post-mortem arrangements on family
• - Assistance with end-of-life planning for parents
• - Hospital admission denial due to lack of a guarantor
• - Finding a guarantor for a nursing home admission
• - Lack of qualified individuals to handle post-mortem affairs

The prevailing situation reflects inadequacies in both social systems and legal frameworks regarding these pressing needs.

Akari Guarantee's Support System

Akari Guarantee employs a multidisciplinary approach by partnering with specialists including lawyers, judicial scriveners, nurses, caregivers, and care managers to provide robust support traditionally fulfilled by family members.

Key Services Provided

• - Guarantor services during hospitalization or care facility admissions
• - Emergency response and surgical accompaniment
• - Coordination of funeral, internment, and estate management activities.

Through our collaborative efforts, Akari Guarantee aims to provide dependable services for elderly individuals without relatives or other vulnerable populations. We strive to ensure that every person can navigate their later years with the support they need, ultimately creating a society where every individual can feel safe and secure during their golden years.

For more details, please visit our official website.

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