Cultural Values on Seniors' Lives

The growing proportion of senior citizens is a problem inmany countries. The situation in Japan is one of the most difficultones. In health-related and nursing field, Finland is known for itshigh quality care for seniors and has one of the most developedhealthcare and welfare facilities in the world. Also, Finland is anideal welfare model for Japan. The aim of the present study is toexamine intercultural understanding for communication andco-project in a Finnish-Japanese health and wellbeing centerproject. The study proposes the following research questions: Howdo cultures affect seniors' healthcare? How is cultural differenceinterpreted? How does the Finnish Wellbeing Center (FWBC) fit in toJapan? How does Japanese society receive the FWBC opportunity? Whatare the implications-image of retirement homes and values in Japan?Analysis of the data was done by content analysis. Project workersrespect each other's cultures. Seniors need a comfortableenvironment and families hope new concepts to lighten their work.This study should be useful to professionals in InterculturalCommunications, Healthcare, Nursing and International Businessfields.