In 2023, about 1.6 million people died in Japan. Before 2019, the number was 1.3 million. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of elderly people who died has increased. Many elderly people support advance directives that clearly indicate the treatment they would like to receive in case they are no longer able to make decisions. About 70% of people support this, but only 3% actually create these directives. This 3% figure seems to suggest that many seniors are worried about not wanting to think about the end of life. It is sad that more people are dying.
However, humans are strong, and some people see a business opportunity here. This is the case for companies that organize belongings. When a parent who lives alone in a rented house dies, the bereaved family will have to go through the process of moving out of the rental property. If the body is discovered many days after death, it will also be necessary to remove odors and sterilize and disinfect it. Sorting out a room with a strong smell is difficult for those who are not used to it. In one case of a lonely death, the belongings filled three trucks, and the cost of two days of work for three people was 130,000 yen. Before disposing of cash and valuables, the company always checks with the person present. Sometimes women are included among the workers. This is because if the deceased is a woman, there are some things that she does not want men to see. Businesses targeting the elderly seem to be born in various forms as society changes.
The “average life expectancy” announced in 2023 will be 87.09 years for women and 81.05 years for men. Meanwhile, the healthy life expectancy will be 75.38 years for women and 72.68 years for men. The difference between the average life expectancy and the healthy life expectancy is about 12 years for women and about 8 years for men. The challenge for the future will be how to live a fun and fulfilling life between the “average life expectancy” and the “healthy life expectancy”. Here, what is important is what is called assets. There are “tangible assets” and “intangible assets” called assets. Tangible assets are visible assets such as money, stocks, and real estate. Intangible assets are assets that cannot be seen. In retirement, it is assets other than money that you should pay attention to. There are hobbies that you enjoy, such as sewing, knitting, collage, and dyeing. People with these skills can spend their retirement years without getting bored. Furthermore, if you want to contribute to society, you can use the skills you have acquired at work in the form of volunteer work. We want to spend our retirement years without placing a burden on our children.
