For families who suddenly start providing care one day. We have pre-released 'Home Care Support Soyogi' completely free of charge.
Nice to meet you, I am Hiro, the representative of Soyogi, a place for care and support consultation.
Following the 'Welfare Supporters Support' series and the 'Soyogi-style AAC App,' we have pre-released (made available in advance) the web version of our new app.
'Home Care Support Soyogi.' It is a guide to caregiving techniques and knowledge for ordinary families who have not received special training. It is completely free.
Caregiving can sometimes begin suddenly one day without any preparation. A parent collapses. A spouse is discharged from the hospital. You find yourself supporting someone who was fine yesterday, starting today. Without time to be taught, and without anyone nearby to ask.
I created this app with the hope that it will be a book that such 'families who suddenly became caregivers' can open before an accident happens.
Why did I create this app?
I am a certified care worker. I have seen many families over the past decade or so while working in facilities, day rehabilitation, and home care for people with disabilities, and also serving as a service provision manager.
And there is a scene I cannot forget. The more families try their best to provide care out of good intentions, the more they hurt their backs in awkward positions, fall down while trying to lift someone, and deeply blame themselves after an accident. The regret of 'if only I hadn't pushed myself' is heavy enough to break a person's heart.
Professionals acquire their skills through training and practice. But families are suddenly put on the front lines without being taught anything. Even though knowing how to lower your hips or how to transfer from a bed to a wheelchair can make a world of difference for the safety of both of you.
Welfare does not begin unless you apply for it. It takes time to connect to the system. In that 'gap until connection,' defenseless family caregiving is starting today all over Japan and all over the world.
That is why I created a caregiving textbook that you can open right now for free, without needing anyone's permission or application. Just open it in your browser. No registration, no name entry, and no money required at all.
What you can do with the app
There are three main pillars.
🤲 Techniques (Caregiving techniques that do not involve lifting):It starts with 'protecting your own back.' Moving, transferring, turning over, and sitting up. Instead of lifting with brute force, I explain methods using leverage and gravity that even women or the elderly can use to provide care without needing strength, with one-step-per-screen illustrations. It covers everything from diaper changes, meal assistance to prevent choking, oral care, changing clothes, safe bathing, to monitoring walking and fall prevention. It contains 13 categories and 147 steps.
🚨 Dangers (Danger signs and on-the-spot responses):Choking, falling and unable to move, possibly a stroke, fever, or redness from bedsores. I have summarized how to distinguish between 'is this a situation to call an ambulance or a situation to watch and wait' and what to do first, in simple language. For when there is no response, I have also included how to perform chest compressions (CPR) and a metronome function to keep the correct rhythm.
🌱 Protecting (Protecting you, the caregiver):Caregiving starts with you not collapsing. How to protect your back, not taking it all on by yourself, that resting is not running away but a technique, and the types of places you can consult. I have put what I most want to convey with this app here.
What I most wanted to convey
That is,'It is okay to leave what you cannot do to the professionals.'is what I mean.
You do not have to believe that 'it is best for the family to provide care.' Please leave difficult things or things you are not confident about to professionals before an accident occurs. That is not a defeat, nor is it a lack of love. It is the wisest decision to protect both you and your loved one.
And, I want to say this loudly: there are many people who feel more comfortable with someone else (a professional) than with family for things like excretion and bathing. For the dignity of the person themselves, there are certainly times when it is better to borrow the hands of a professional.
If you take on all the caregiving yourself, you will become nothing but a 'caregiver,' and the time you spend as a daughter, son, wife, or husband will fade away.By leaving some tasks to the professionals, you can return to being 'family'.The time spent drinking tea and laughing together may be more important than any caregiving technique.
Because this app is designed to teach techniques with sincerity, I want to say this at the end:You don't have to carry it all on your own.
Design born from the field
All illustrations were drawn from scratch as line art. The reason I didn't use photos is not just because of rights and photography issues, but primarily to ensure that it 'conveys meaning through pictures alone, without relying on words.' If the movements can be understood through circles and arrows alone, it can be understood by people of any language.
Furthermore, the content was created based on the 'rules' of the field, not desk-bound theories. For example, leaning too far forward causes one to fall; having the person hold onto the rail makes assistance easier and helps them maintain their own strength; in diaper changes, the atmosphere that prevents the person from having to say 'I'm sorry' is more important than the speed of your hands; and without proper nutrition, bedsores will form no matter how much you change their position. I have poured each of these insights into this book.
However, I must be honest with you. For those with brittle bones, stiff joints, progressive diseases, or those using medical equipment, you must not use the 'general methods' in this app as they are. In such cases, please be sure to learn the methods suited to that individual from their primary physician, visiting nurse, or rehabilitation professional. This app is 'the first book to open,' not a substitute for individual guidance from professionals.
How this book came to be
I will honestly tell you about the process of creating it.
The production of this app began with having the AI team 'Soyogi Lab' create a general template for caregiving. However, when I saw the initial draft, I could not hide my surprise. The content was too thin, and the techniques and knowledge written there were almost unchanged from over 10 years ago, before I left the field.
Just to be sure, I searched again, but the situation had hardly changed. On the contrary, even knowledge that was 'common sense' when I was in the field was almost nowhere to be found on the internet. Thinking it might be a problem unique to Japan, I expanded my search to the world. Even then, information was severely lacking.
The truly important wisdom of caregiving is not sufficiently written anywhere on the internet right now. When I realized that, I made up my mind.
From there, I wrote down everything I could—what I learned myself, what I experienced in the field, and what I learned from my failures. The content expanded to about 10 times the size of the initial draft. On top of that, to ensure it wasn't just my own biased view, I cross-checked it one by one against global common sense in caregiving techniques and knowledge, as well as scientific evidence. Furthermore, because I wanted people all over the world to use this app, I carefully checked to ensure there were no issues in light of the laws of each country.
That is how this app was finally completed. That is why, this time as well, it could never have been created by AI alone or by me alone. I was greatly helped by the power of AI in design, implementation, translation into 12 languages, and detailed verification work. However, the 'content' that goes in the middle was something that could only be written by a human who has lived in the field.
To those working in the medical and welfare fields
This app was created for family members who have not received training. But now that I have finished it, I think it might also be useful for those in the medical and welfare fields who feel a 'lack' of knowledge or techniques in caregiving.
Being left in charge without anyone to teach you. Changing fields and not feeling confident in caregiving etiquette. Such moments happen to professionals, too. I would be so happy if my colleagues could feel free to use the wisdom and ingenuity I have gathered in the field as a reference.
Of course, I do not think my experience is entirely correct. If you have feedback like 'this is how we do it in our facility,' please let me know. I believe this book is something we will grow together.
To families around the world (supporting 12 languages)
We have supported 12 languages: Japanese, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Korean, Chinese, and Arabic. Arabic is a language read from right to left, but we have flipped the entire screen so that it can be used properly.
There are people all over the world who are caring for family members without having received training. I believe that if we choose our words carefully, the wisdom cultivated in the field can cross borders.
Designed to be lightweight and safe to use
Completely free, ad-free, and no registration required. It works offline, so once you open it, you can use it even in places without signal or in the middle of the night. We do not collect any personal information.
When caregiving is at its most difficult, I didn't want payment screens, advertisements, or member registrations getting in the way. I created this with that single thought in mind.
About the future
This is an early release of the web version. You can use it immediately from your browser, whether on a smartphone or a computer.
▼ Home Care Support Soyogi (Web Version)
We are also preparing an Android version (Google Play). We will announce it again once it is released.
'I want to know this procedure' or 'This is how we manage at home.' Such feedback is what helps this app grow. Please do share your thoughts with us.
May this gently support the first step for someone whose caregiving journey began suddenly today.
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