Renting a silver car (walker) with 'Long-term Care Insurance'.

At the end of March, I consulted with my care manager, saying, 'I'm thinking about a silver car.'
I immediately received a call from a representative in the welfare equipment department, and they asked about my preferences.

While looking at the welfare equipment catalog, I said, 'Wouldn't this one be good?' They said, 'I can visit from Friday onwards,' so I asked them to come on Saturday.

Saturday.
They brought the one I was interested in plus one more. I had my mother try them out after getting her ready for an outing. It felt good, so we decided to rent it. We used it to go see the cherry blossoms in two different places.

The day after we went to see the cherry blossoms at the second location.
My body was aching all over. Muscle pain. My mother is bad at operating those kinds of things. I suppose it has something to do with her not being able to ride a bicycle, but anyway, she's just no good at it.

There is also the issue of necessity. It's not that her legs are so bad that she 'can't go out without using it'; she can walk if she holds onto a cane and me. However, even if she can walk, she gets out of breath, and standing is painful. That's why she wants to sit. That's what happens when you're over 90.

But it's human nature not to use something if it gives you muscle pain. I received a message asking, 'How was the comfort?' and when I replied, 'Sadly, both of us ended up with muscle pain. She's not very good at operating it. What should we do?' they replied, 'Then I'll bring a different one.'

So kind 😭 Ten days later, they brought three more along with a manufacturer representative.

You can rent silver cars with long-term care insurance!
(Depending on the item and the provider, it's usually from a few hundred yen per month.)

It feels like, 'What is long-term care insurance used for and how?', but it also applies to necessary welfare equipment. In our case, we have a nursing care bed and a handrail for standing up next to the bed.
We have already rented a floor-to-ceiling tension-mounted handrail for the entrance.
(This is different from handrails that require construction and are subsidized by the local government.)

You can install tension-mounted handrails not just on walls, but also in the middle of a room or in front of a closet. 'Doesn't that mean the closet won't open?' No, you can lift the handrail part to use the closet. They say it can be adjusted to the room's structure and flow.

There are also many types of silver cars. The shape of the handles (horizontal straight, U-shape, handlebar type). Whether the tires are single or double. Types with brakes so they don't go too fast. There are also net-like seats, and differences in which side of the handle the seat is on.
1. Inside the handles: stop and turn around to sit. (In front of the knees of the person pushing)
2. Outside the handles: stop and turn around to the front to sit. (In the direction of travel)

After trying several this time, I learned that straight handles are no good and that the seat should be on the inside, but I have no idea which features are good for my parent. There is too little information.

When you buy a bicycle, you go to the shop and try it out, right? It's the same; you don't know until you touch it. But because there are problems with walking, she can't go to such places even if they exist.
You have to find one from a small selection. But you lose out even more if you don't know.

Before we could even use the second one we rented, I got a message from the representative. I said, 'We haven't been able to go out yet. But actually, I'm very curious about a simple folding type I saw a man using at the hospital the other day,' and they brought it for us.

This is probably it. The frame is clean and simple. This is likely it.
It's easy to operate and, on top of that, light. I was surprised that the grips rotate. Since the hand position becomes higher, she doesn't end up hunched over. So, we decided to rent it.

Since she is tall and has a high waist for someone in her 90s, maybe a men's model was better.
She sat in it while accompanying me on errands, and no muscle pain the next day!
We successfully signed a rental contract for this one 😆

Until a little while ago, there were few people using silver cars, so it stood out and we were both a little embarrassed, but in the last year or two, the number of users has exploded.

When you need one, I want you to search for one without compromising.
I often see people looking unsteady with just a cane, and I want them to know that they can rent one with long-term care insurance. Walking becomes stable, shopping becomes easier, and you can take a breather.

I think it's a necessary item if you want to live safely in your community.
It's not embarrassing at all.

See you later 🖐️