In Japan, more than 25% of the population is over 65, a figure set to rise to 40 percent by 2050.

That means authorities need to think about ways to keep healthy and active for longer but also about how to cope with labor shortages.

At Cross Heart, more than half of the 119 caregivers are over 60, and 15 of them are over 70. The foundation   that runs this nursing   home and others in   Kanagaw a Prefecture has raised the official retirement age to 70 but allows employees to keep working until 80 if they want to and can.

Although older workers have constraints—some can’t do the heavier tasks—they also offer advantages over younger workers who want time off for their children, said nursing home director Kaori Yokoo.

“Plus, because they’re close in age, they can relate to each other more, ” she said. For the older workers, the money is a nice benefit, but the main motivation is the activity and sense of community.

Hiroko   Akiyama,   at   the   University   of   Tokyo’s   Institute   of   Gerontology,   said   a Japanese 65-year-old is in much better physical and mental shape than a 65-year-old a few decades ago. “They are full of energy, and healthy and long-liv ing,” she said. Her research has found that working helps keep seniors that way.

Meanwhile,   researchers   are   working   on   robots   that   can   lift   the   elderly   out   of   beds   and wheelchairs.

Still, Japan can’t rely only on seniors or, potentially, robots to staff its nursing homes, where the need will only grow as the population ages, analysts say.

Japan has agreements with Indonesia, Vietn am and the Philipp ines under which applicants who complete job training and pass a Japanese language test can work at a Japanese nursing home.   But many Japanese also express deep concern about cultural differences.

【小题1】From the text we can learn that in Japan ______.

A．money w ill be spent increasing the skills of the workforce

B．young people are willing to care for children but not seniors

C．aging caregivers will increasingly become a usual trend

D．high-level nursing homes are in great need

【小题2】What does the underlined word “constraints” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．failures.	B．benefits.
C．experiences.	D．drawbacks.

【小题3】What is the main reason for the old to work for nursing homes?

A．To meet their physical and mental needs.	B．To earn some money for their families.
C．To show love and respect for seniors.	D．To reduce the young’s burden.

【小题4】How many aspects does the writer mention to increase the workforce?

A．2.

B．3.

C．4.

D．5.