Small-Scale Shared Housing Projects Outside Public Schemes for the Elderly in Japan: A Comparative Study of Multiple Projects

This paper has examined how a mutual balance can be achieved between aspects such as the care of residents, their privacy, the expenses involved, and the scale of operating companies in order to better implement shared housing for the elderly, which has been developed on an exploratory basis in Japan, under the current social circumstances. Specifically, the three following observations can be made.(1) Reducing the room area in order to keep living expenses affordable will attract more residents who require greater long-term care.(2) Projects that cannot fund the construction of new buildings due to low rent can be executed by refurbishing existing buildings in suburban cities. (3) A strong business foundation that is capable of handling changes in the physical and mental wellbeing of residents over the long term is necessary, and companies can improve operational stability by introducing a long-term care insurance business or a local volunteering business in addition to their housing business