The convalescent home where Tetsu works is rather stark and institutional... It is a fairly old building and subsidized by the prefecture but they are trying to make it more pleasant and the management started with the bathing area.
Some specialist spent years researching how to care for the elderly and handicapped and allow them to enjoy Japanese bathing without all the machines and lifts and mechanics that in the past have been involved.
This LOOKS like a simple bathtub etc. but actually the HEIGHT of the tub and chair and knobs, the PLACEMENT of hand rails, the SHAPE of the hand rails, the SLANT of the floor, the SMELL of the wood, the AIR FLOW have all been analyzed and adjusted for maximum ease and safety for the residents. And of course the staff have been trained and led through a choreograph of movements and positions that allows them to safely bathe residents and ease them into and lift them out of the deep wooden tubs without harming their own backs.
Three years went into developing the three bathing rooms (two single tubs and one large tub for two or three people to use at once... a Japanese custom). The whole thing is designed so that the people taking a bath won't feel like they are in an institution but rather visiting a relaxing hot spa someplace.
There is a waiting room where the waiting residents in their wheelchairs are served tea (a flat TV on the opposite wall) and a changing room. One of the next steps is going to be having the outside area landscaped.
And on the other side of the building is an area for video viewing and even an esthetician's chair. (And there is an esthetician on the staff!) Slowly convalescent homes are changing in Japan for the better and I think it shows in Tetsu's pride.
21 comments:
Wow, those tubs look fancy! Good for them! I'm sure the residents enjoy it.
ttfn :) Yuki
very nice! I wish more care was given to US nursing homes - some are just plain awful and I would hate to have anyone in them - some are fancy and cost a lot and only wealthy people can be there.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/
Dear Taniwa,
I think the people who care for the elder are worth recognition and a good rise in salary. All of us will be old one day, and I wish that when it is my turn to need help I will be treated with respect and that I'm still able to keep some dignity, (even when taking a shower. So Tetsu can be proud of his job. It's important and I'm sure he can make a difference for the "guests" where he works.
Ida
How wonderful... love what was done with the bathing areas.. they are indeed spa-like!
Thanks for sharing the photos with us...
Very, very nice! It's wonderful to be able to provide so many comforts to the residents.
wow, they are nice...all that natural light coming in makes it all so spa like. There aren't even windows in the bathroom at our care center. I didn't even miss them until I saw these rooms! Tell Tetsu he can be very proud of the work going on there!
Tetsu should be very proud! This looks like a wonderful enviroment to help the residents to feel that they live in a special place!
Very nice. Something like that makes them feel like they're living a normal life and gives them back a sense of pride. I like to see places less institutionalized and here the newer facilities seem to be trying too. My dad's nursing home gave them choices at meals and they did away with things like bibs. Instead they would tuck a cloth napkin under their chins.
My dad was in a nursing home for 13 years. I think his favorite thing was getting a bath - he would play in the water and splash like a small child. He would have loved to look outside while playing in the water. Thanks for sharing.
cindy
That all looks very nice. Tetsu is right to be proud of it. I think it must be very difficult to make a nursing home seem less institutional. My mom was in one for five years, and while the staff did their best, and there was lots of remodeling done during those years, it just never seemed very "homey."
You can be so proud of Tetsu and the way he looks after his "oldies" and he can be even more proud of the new bathing facilities. Yes, one day we will be old, if we are so fortunate, and to have a bathing room like that would seem to be a luxury..An esthetitian, well I had to look on the net to find a job description!!! Wow, they get so well taken care of.The rooms look so light and airy ,I hope the people transferred from further north have settled in and feel at home in Tetsu's establishment. Take care, to both of you from Nancy J
Please tell Tetsu that I'm impressed with the facility changes and his pride in them...pride of taking good and respectful care of the elderly residents.
It looks so lovely - Tetsu should be proud. I'm a firm believer in the healing power of beauty and this is beautiful. I wish more places for the elderly were like this. Before, you know, *I* need one.
Tanya, these bathing facilities are so fresh and unique. I'm sure the will be installed in lots more care homes. Tetsu has a right to be proud of his accomplishments. I'm going to share your blog with my friend, Steve, who is a nursing home administrator in CC. I know he will like seeing the new bathing facilities. Hope things are going as smoothly as possible for you, considering all the upheaval in your country. Hugs, Pat in IN
Hi Tanya,
This is a nice way to honor Tetsu, and his devotion to his "oldies" and the work he does and your love for him.
Be well.
Carol
Beautiful.
What a beautiful way to honor the elderly. I would like to be in such a lovely, serene home for elders some day.
Love those Alabama blocks.
Andrea in MN
Tetsu has every reason to be proud of the home's new bath area. It does look spa-like, and love the amount daylight that comes in through the windows making the rooms nice and bright...off to a great start with their renos.
Nina
Canada
my 91yo dad just spent two weeks in the hospital for a leg infection. We have a small rural hospital that is very modern. He gets great care, he knows almost all the nurses (small town--you usually know most everyone) and they know when he's being himself or if he doesn't feel well. And all my sisters and I live close--within a mile. (the whole town is in one mile!) It just makes it easier.
The bathing area is beautiful and I'm sure the residents will just love the new addition. All the work that went into this will make a huge difference in the quality of everyone's lives - how wonderful that this could be added to the facility!
Those bathtubs look fabulous. The tub in our apartment is shallow and built to be used as a shower. I daydream of Japanese tubs without really knowing what I dream of.
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