Work and Proposals by the Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists

Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists

1. Opinion based on overall damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake

The Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists (JAOT) established a disaster response headquarters on March 12, 2011, the day after the Great East Japan Earthquake hit, and President Nakamura served as the disaster headquarters director. Disaster support activities were mainly conducted by the headquarters. While maintaining continual contact with the occupational therapists associations in each prefecture hit by the disaster, JAOT did what it could, and occupational therapists did what they should without troubling the disaster area but discussing issues with related parties. The basic principle underlying JAOT's disaster support activities was to not rush and to provide support for reconstruction that is appropriate for the conditions in the disaster area from as long-term a perspective as possible.

[Efforts undertaken by JAOT during the previous year]

After the disaster response headquarters was established, its first meeting was held on March 13, 2011, and the following guidelines were set and posted on the association's website.

1. Collect information to ascertain the condition of members and the extent of damage in the disaster area. (Create an email address for the association's disaster response headquarters and develop a contact network with the occupational therapists associations in each prefecture hit by the disaster.)

2. Open an account for donations for disaster support (collect support funds from a broad range of members).

3. Pay four prefectural associations (Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki) 300,000 yen each in initial response funds.

4. Accept requests for membership fee waivers from members affected by the disaster.

5. Launch volunteer activities.

6. Conduct a survey on the impact on training facilities.

Disaster support activities were launched in line with these guidelines.

2. Efforts and response by the JAOT

(1) Financial support for disaster support activities

(a) Paid occupational therapists associations in four prefectures (Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki) 300,000 yen each in initial support funds shortly after the disaster (March - April).
(b) Solicited support funds for various purposes such as supporting occupational therapists associations in prefectures affected by the disaster, undertaking JAOT activities, and purchasing supplies.
[Revenue] around 13.35 million yen (as of March 2012)
[Expenditures] around 7.64 million yen (as of March 2012)

(2) Dispatch of members to the disaster area

JAOT recruited and registered members throughout Japan as volunteers and appropriately dispatched personnel as requested by organizations such as occupational therapists associations in the disaster area.

(a) Dispatched members to specialist teams to support people's daily lives in Wakabayashi-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi.
[Dispatch period] April 3 - May 9, 2011
[Activity area] Wakabayashi-ku and Miyagino-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi
[Number of members dispatched] 10

(b) Dispatched members to conduct disaster support activities for the Miyagi Association of Occupational Therapists.
[Dispatch period] April 15 - September 22, 2011
[Activity area] Ishinomaki-shi, Kesennuma-shi, and Minamisanriku-cho
[Number of members dispatched] total of 65

(c) Dispatched members to conduct disaster support activities for the Iwate Association of Occupational Therapists.
[Dispatch period] May 1 - July 22, 2011
[Activity area] Kamaishi area (Kamaishi-shi and Otsuchi-cho)
[Number of members dispatched] total of 37

(e) Dispatched members to undertake disaster support activities in Minamisoma-shi, Fukushima.
[Dispatch period] December 11, 2011 - March 31, 2012
[Activity area] Minamisoma-shi, Fukushima (Haramachi-ku and Kashima-ku)
[Number of members dispatched] 23

(3) Support for members in the disaster area

(a) Preferential measures related to member fees (as of January 2012)

Membership fee waivers for members affected by the earthquake and tsunami: 64
Membership fee waivers for members affected by the nuclear accident: 26
Extensions of the deadline for paying membership fees: 2
Installment payments of membership fees: 1

(b) Return-to-work support for employees affected by the disaster

Collected information on job offers from throughout Japan and posted on website. Listed job information for a total of 165 positions.

JAOT matched students to training schools. In the disaster area, some clinical trainee facilities could not accept students, and efforts were made to find alternative facilities that could accept these students.

(4) Other

JAOT coordinated and secured members to work as specialists in the Mental Health Care for Persons Affected by the Disaster project (Hisaisha no kokoro no kea project), which was undertaken with the Mental Health and Disability Health Division, Department of Health and Welfare for Persons with Disabilities, Social Welfare and War Victims' Relief Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, serving as the secretariat and using funds included in the third supplementary budget for FY2011. Through this project, four occupational therapists were dispatched.

3. Issues that came to light since directly after the disaster

(a) Constructing during non-emergency times a system so that medical and rehabilitation capabilities can quickly be restored when a large-scale disaster hits.

(b) Developing a system that can promptly supplement a municipalities' coordinating capabilities when it is hit by a disaster and cannot be expected to communicate.

(d) Clearly indicating occupational therapists in the Disaster Relief Act.

(e) Possessing the ability to tie the work of parties such as volunteers providing support during emergencies to existing medical and nursing care services in the disaster area.

4. Proposals regarding the future

(a) Construct a system that makes it possible to quickly provide medical and rehabilitation support in areas hit by disasters, which includes concluding a support agreement for disasters, assuming a major disaster during non-emergency times.

<Reason> There are many areas that lost the ability to provide medical and rehabilitation services because of the disaster, and the ability to do so has still not been restored; although people have started to live in temporary housing, the areas still lack the ability to provide medical and rehabilitation services that it provided in the past. Residents are living without sufficient medical and rehabilitation services.

(b) Develop a system that can promptly supplement a municipalities' coordinating capabilities when it is hit by a disaster and cannot be expected to communicate.

<Reason> The Great East Japan Earthquake was so severe that local governments in the disaster area were not able to fulfil their communication and coordination duties. Therefore, it was impossible for them to launch support activities in a timely manner. It is important to envision such a situation and reinforce the coordinating abilities in the local area form outside the organization.

<Reason> It was impossible to collect information and appropriately disseminate it for some time, and this exacerbated the concerns of the persons affected by the disaster and made it impossible to provide appropriate support.

(d) Clearly indicate occupational therapists in the Disaster Relief Act.

<Reason> Following the Great East Japan Earthquake, many occupational therapists undertook support activities, but most of it was through volunteer work, and there were limits to this. Clearly including rehabilitation professionals, such as occupational therapists, in the Disaster Relief Act will make it possible for these workers to fully make use of their abilities.

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