The "One Coin Magokoro Service" was started in 2012 in Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and the number of those users has been increasing, so it is becoming more established. The fact that the fee has been reduced from 500 yen to 100 yen since April 2014 also seems to be significant.
5 years after the start of the 100-yen service, use of the service is rapidly increasing.
The city commissioned the Silver Human Resource Center of the city to implement the program, which aims to support the elderly so that they can live safely in their familiar neighborhoods. In FY13, the year after the program started, only 26 cases were made use of the service, but when the fee was reduced from 500 yen to 100 yen, the number of cases increased to 215 in FY14, 679 in FY15, and 1,453 in FY16.
The service is about 30 minutes each time, and includes buying and replacing broken light bulbs, taking out the trash, hanging out the futon to dry, ironing, talking to people, and taking care of other personal needs. The company says that it receives many requests for small shopping requests.
Details of Hirado City's "One-Con Magokoro Service" can be found here.
One Coin Magokoro Service - Hirado City Silver Human Resources Center
Similar attempts are being made at the Silver Human Resource Center in Kagoshima City.
Kagoshima City Silver Human Resources Center "One Coin Magokoro Service
To be honest, I am skeptical about the extent to which attempts by the elderly to help the elderly will work, but I felt that it would be good if it develops into an attempt to go beyond local self-help efforts.
