Creating 'care' in a place that was just a dining hall. My challenge in Ecuador has begun

There is something I realized a while after coming to Ecuador.

The senior center where I work was not originally created as a 'place to provide care for the elderly'.

It was a place to provide lunch for the elderly.

In other words, its basic role was
to provide meals
.

The elderly gather and eat together.

That is very important.

However, it was a little different from the 'elderly care' I had experienced in Japan.

In Japan, even in places where the elderly gather to eat, we look at them from various perspectives, such as:
'Can they eat safely?'
'What is their physical condition?'
'Are there any symptoms of dementia?'
'Is there a risk of falling?'
'Is oral care being provided?'
'What is their daily life like?'
But here, the very idea of



providing care for the elderly here
had not yet fully taken shape.

'Elderly care' that the Patronato began to consider

In the midst of this, the situation was beginning to change little by little.

The Patronato, which operates this senior center, began to think,
'Can't we do more for the elderly?'
They wanted to make it a place where the elderly could spend time with peace of mind, not just provide meals.

They wanted to create time for them to spend happily.
They also wanted to think about the lives and health of the elderly.

To that end, they requested an elderly care specialist and a geriatric specialist from JICA.

And in response to that request, I came to Ecuador.

But what was waiting for me was...

'Work as an elderly care specialist.'
That is what I heard when I came to Ecuador.

Of course, I had made some preparations.
I also had experience in Japan.
I have worked as a nurse.
I have also been involved in elderly care.
I have also been involved with people with dementia for a long time.

So, I thought,
'I can use my experience so far to do something for the elderly in Ecuador.'
That is what I thought.

However—.

When I actually entered the field, I thought,
'Huh? What should I do?'
The acceptance system was almost not in place.

I came as an 'elderly care specialist,' but what should I do?

Who should I do it with?
Where should I start?
The concrete form of the activities was almost undecided.
In Japan, there is a certain system.
There are facilities,

there are care workers,

there are nurses,
there are care managers,
there is a purpose for the service,
there are records,
and there is training.
But here, that 'common sense' did not exist.

'What should I do?'

At first, I was really worried.

Should I just bring what I did in Japan as it is?
Should I teach dementia care?
Should I increase recreation?
Should I conduct staff training?
Should I manage their health?

But in the first place, there are few hands.

There are no staff members who specialize in nursing care.

Students and volunteers come, but they are not always there.

Even if I say, 'This is how we do it in Japan,' it is meaningless if it cannot be continued here.
I began to think that way.
So, I stopped thinking about it in a difficult way for a moment.

First, let's have these people spend their time safely and happily.

This became my first goal.

There is no need to do anything special.
There is no need to build a magnificent nursing care facility.

First of all,
the elderly can spend their time safely.

And,
they can spend every day happily.

Let's start from there.
That is what I thought.

'Fun' can also be care

At the senior center, I started various activities little by little.
Listening to music.
Moving the body.
Dancing.
Doing origami.
Coloring.
Playing with a ball.
Doing activities with students.

Sometimes, I would introduce Japanese culture.

At first, I sometimes wondered, 'Is this nursing care?'
But as I watched the smiles of the elderly, my way of thinking gradually changed.
People who walked with canes would move their bodies when music played.

People who usually don't talk much would laugh during activities.
There are people who come looking forward to it, asking, 'What are we doing today?'

Seeing that, I began to think,

'Spending time happily is also an important part of elderly care.'

But 'fun' is not enough

On the other hand, as I continued my activities, I could see various things.

How to interact with people with dementia.
The risk of falling.
Hygiene such as hand washing and nails.
Meals.
Oral care.
Physical changes in the elderly.
Information sharing among staff.
Education for students and volunteers.

And the problem of
'How can I make this activity continue even after I am gone?'
When I thought about one problem, the next problem would appear.

It was not a simple story of 'just do recreation'.

In order for the elderly to spend their time safely, various things are necessary.
To spend time happily, the power of various people is also necessary.

And to continue that, the staff needs to learn.

Little by little, the form of 'care' became visible

So I started to organize what I had done one by one.

How to support people with dementia.
What is necessary for the elderly to live safely.
How to spend every day happily.
What should I tell students and volunteers.
What kind of knowledge and skills do the staff need.

Each one was a small activity.

But when I lined them up, it looked like
everything is connected to supporting the elderly's 'life that is like them'.
For the first time, I thought, 'Maybe what is needed here is not to bring Japanese nursing care as it is.'

The human resources here.
The culture here.
The place here.

The time here.
Students.
Volunteers.
Staff.
And the power of the elderly themselves.

Use what is here now to create care that can be continued in this place.


I began to think that this is what is needed.

Not 'I can't do it because it's not there,' but 'If it's not there, I'll create it'

Of course, there are still challenges.

It's not that perfect care is being provided.

There is a limit to what I can do alone.

But if I think, 'I can't do it because there are no care workers,' 'I can't do it because there are few staff,' or 'I can't do it because there is no system,' nothing will start.
If so, I will

think about what can be done with the people who are here now.


It can be small.
It can be one by one.Try it, and if it doesn't work, change it.
And make it a form that everyone can continue as much as possible without relying on any one person.
That is how I will create 'care' little by little.
That became my new challenge in Ecuador.

And before I knew it...

At first, I was worried,
'What should I do?'
But as I continued my activities, it increased one by one, saying, 'This is also necessary,' 'I want to convey this too,' and 'We can do this together too.'

Recreation.
Dementia care.
Safety and health.
Hygiene.
Student education.

Volunteer education.
Staff education.
And above all,

the elderly can spend their time with peace of mind, dignity, and happiness.

The activities that looked scattered at first were connected little by little.

But at this time, I was not yet thinking about such things systematically.
I was just thinking,
'I want to create care that suits this place,'


and was just facing the elderly in front of me.

Not by bringing what I experienced in Japan as it is,
but with the people here.Using what is here.In a form that can be continued here.
From small things, one by one.

That is how 'care' was born little by little in the place where they gathered to eat.

And I will gradually give shape to that initiative that still has no name.

My challenge in Ecuador started from here.

*I would like to introduce a somewhat surprising scene I encountered at an elderly care center in Ecuador.An elderly person who had been walking with a cane starts dancing when the music plays. (The photo is of the actual elderly care center where I am working.)

#Ecuador
#JICAOverseasCooperationVolunteers
#SeniorOverseasCooperationVolunteers
#ElderlyCare
#NursingCare
#DementiaCare
#WorkingAbroad
#InternationalCooperation
#Nurse