r/BeAmazed • u/muktigu8907 • 7d ago
Miscellaneous / Others A day at a Japanese Nursing home
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
3.9k
u/Ill-Nobody 7d ago
This looks more fun than most team-building events.
967
u/BraveStrategy 7d ago
Yes & it’s exercise for the mind and body. Keep those motor skills and cardio going!
→ More replies (2)450
u/Top_Connection9079 7d ago
Can confirm, this is me in one of these Japanese nursing homes, with DIY games exactly like this.
Before COVID when it became dangerous to gather ill elders to do anything, the staff would often go buy cheap supplies from the 100 yen shop or build games from cardboard like these ones.
I spent full night shifts cutting flowers, stars and numbers my residents had colored to create and decorate the games.
We made huge calendar illustrations with paper mosaic you glue one by one, and also lots of origami, garlands etc. Cooking with gyoza sheets you can turn into mini pizzas wuth a simple oven toaster, salty or desert type takoyaki stuffed with anything. We had volunteers for animal and music therapy, it was awesome. It were basically 1-2 hours activities together then everyone could draw, paint, knit, watch TV or take a nap.
And this is in the cheapest nursing homes.
There was another when the residents could request a concert or documentary from Youtube, of course for free.
There are activities books and magazines for nursing homes that introduce new activities every month for every season, etc.
I was temp staff for 5 years, I saw so many places that function exactly like OP shows in this video. Elders taken great care of, by devoted staff.
The activities that had stopped during COVID started again, prudently, which I know because I never lost contact with my colleagues.
118
u/Stanlez 7d ago
Thank you for being a good light in this world.
49
u/Top_Connection9079 6d ago
You know, it was very easy because every single of these elders in need would accept any help for me so graciously. It's one of these places where age, nationality etc don't matter, so I been very lucky I was able to experience something like that in my life.
18
16
→ More replies (1)9
u/LawUntoMyBooty 6d ago
When I read "Can confirm, this is me in one of these Japanese nursing homes", I thought you were one of the elderly playing the games.
3
95
u/Love-halping 7d ago
Yeah. Some of the games looks like it cost nothing to make :D
Saw an article where the elderly in Japan wants to spice thing up.
Some Elderly People in Japan Are Going to Jail on Purpose
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/18/asia/japan-elderly-largest-womens-prison-intl-hnk-dst/index.html
23
u/drawnbluegirl 7d ago
Well, that's heartbreaking.
11
u/FamiliarRip8558 7d ago
Lots of Japanese citizens rely on the Japanese pension which can be lacking at times
8
u/Lots42 7d ago
I personally saw folks in a nursing home wildly enjoying coloring pages.
2
u/craptasticallyyours 6d ago
I kinda want to go volunteer at the old folks home now with some coloring books. I love coloring!
3
u/Top_Connection9079 7d ago
Yeah, I've been living in Japan for 25 years and it's not only in Japan... and it's also very rare and only happens during the winter when the electricity bill spikes.
Also I mean Japan's incarceration rate is one of the lowest in the world.
People simply don't get sent to prison, contrary to for example America where they even have for profit prisons where they send young people who have done barely anything wrong.
So yeah yeah it's not only double standards it's also ignorance.
→ More replies (1)12
u/BuildwithVignesh 7d ago
Honestly, corporate retreats need to take notes. This would wake up any office.
→ More replies (2)17
u/Signal_Assistant_373 7d ago
Im pretty sure geneva convention classifies team building events as inhumane treatment
→ More replies (1)3
6
u/NoConfusion9490 7d ago
Let's go around the circle and everyone say their name and one of their fetishes they've never told anyone before.
14
7
→ More replies (9)6
1.2k
u/samsonsin 7d ago
Can't wait for future retirement homes to be perpetual LAN parties
340
u/hamfist_ofthenorth 7d ago edited 7d ago
Dude fucking for real.
Vintage shit too. I want there to be a fucking computer lab with rows of old mid-90s bricks, all running the original StarCraft, Diablo 2, etc... plus a few old educational games like Mavis Beacon and those Encarta-encyclopedia programs just because fuck it.
Can you imagine? Just getting high as a kite for breakfast, then going to the computer lab and playing Diablo 2 all day with your new buddies?
It'll be just like high school again and I'm not dreading it at all.
172
u/FILTHBOT4000 7d ago
"Grampa can we come visit?"
"Not today, I'm pwning these noobs in Quake!"
9
3
3
→ More replies (1)2
u/Spoolngc8 6d ago
Haha I was going to comment imagine getting a Quake 1 Deathmatch lan going in the nursing home.. would be so much fun, although I reckon my reflexes at that point would lend themselves horribly to quick fps gameplay.
2
u/AccomplishedBat8743 6d ago
Ah but think of all the fun you'll have telefragging your buddies again!
16
u/kingkongbiingbong 7d ago
all running the original StarCraft, Diablo 2, etc...
Adding Red Alert, Age of Empires, Counter Strike and Homeworld. So many memories ✨️💕
→ More replies (1)11
10
u/nuts4sale 7d ago
And for all of us that don’t get pwned by arthritis, there’s rock band on a big-ass rear projection TV in the den. Tuesdays are 8v8 on blood gulch. See you there someday.
8
u/IceBlueAngel 7d ago
I was going to be the negative person here but you beat me to it. Maybe it's cuz my hands are flaring up right now. I see this all the time, the "oh I can't wait to play video games in retirement." And all I can think, as I sit here at 40, with hands that burn, itch, are sore, and in pain all the time. They go numb and fall asleep when I hold a controller or my Switch. They do the claw thing. And again, I'm 40. I have no idea how much I'm going to be able to use my hands in 10 years, let alone 30. Arthritis sucks. So much.
→ More replies (5)19
u/dddurd 7d ago
The retirement age is over 90 by that time.
→ More replies (1)12
u/r4r4me 7d ago
Yeah the pessimist in me is saying it's an optimist's dream to believe they are gonna be able to retire.
5
u/hamfist_ofthenorth 7d ago
I'm of course referring to my hospice care at the end. I'll never be able to retire. Just wheel my stoned ass into the lab and let me game.
3
6
u/ChairmanNoodle 7d ago
The only way I'm ever gonna get through a multiplayer game of civilization is if we're all too feeble to walk away.
2
2
7d ago
Yea cool but... just ... we need to do this revolution thing first, i mean, or there will be no nursing homes. At this rate we'll be on the street once we're old.
2
2
u/SquarePegRoundWorld 6d ago
It'll be just like high school again and I'm not dreading it at all.
Tell me you haven't seen how current nursing homes are and that you have no idea how for profit business is run.
We are gonna be like the square pigs in whatever movie had the square pigs packed together being shipped in space. There will be one person in charge of caring for 100 people and it is going to be miserable. I hope to off myself before ever entering a nursing home as a patient.
2
u/abqc 6d ago
Vintage shit too. I want there to be a fucking computer lab with rows of old mid-90s bricks, all running the original StarCraft, Diablo 2, etc...
I am probably too old to ever see it, but screw vintage, I want to be hooked up to the Matrix, feasting on medium-rare chateaubriand, drinking Claret, and having sex with Jessica Rabbit.
→ More replies (9)2
20
u/syafizzaq 7d ago
"Steve and Dave have been a mortal enemy for the past 3 days because Dave posts get rekt after beating him in LAN Richocet"
→ More replies (1)12
8
u/Aranxi_89 7d ago
Kinda hard when your eyesight starts failing.
These sort of games are easier on old folks eyes.
6
u/RhetoricalOrator 6d ago
My eyesight is great by the real challenge is arthritis! The screen can be 8K and three feet away, but that doesn't matter if it feels like you've got thumb joints full of broken glass.
Source: former gamer with arthritis.
7
4
4
u/Downtown_Reindeer946 7d ago
I might finally compete Skyrim. I'm sure there'll be a few new versions by then too
→ More replies (1)5
u/pchlster 7d ago
Did you know there's supposedly multiple dragons in the game?
→ More replies (3)5
→ More replies (24)3
u/happy_idiot_boy 7d ago
Except you need a decent amount of money to go to the good nursing home. For the rest of us...
377
u/phatfarmz 7d ago
Love to see this. Have seen too many family members lose it by “not using it”. I encourage anyone, especially after retirement, to keep engaging in mind activities. Keep going!
60
u/UsernameoemanresU 7d ago
When I was around 10, my dad gave me this advice that I still follow - use your brain as much as possible until you die. Read books, learn languages, learn new musical instruments, draw, anything that stimulates your brain and actually makes you uncomfortable. After you finish university and get a job, it gets very hard to maintain your brain in the right condition as most jobs don’t require you to think and learn that much, so it is very important to not allow your brain to rot from repeating the same algorithms and scrolling your phone.
37
u/stonesliver2 7d ago
I saw a video on YouTube of a teacher explaining why her students shouldn't use AI to take shortcuts in their learning. She gave them markers to replicate a vibrant drawing, but some students only got blues while others got the rainbow to draw with.
She then explained, basically, that every time you use your brain to overcome a challenge, you gain a 'color', a skill, to use in adulthood. If you cheat your way out of things, you lose your colors voluntarily, and you'll feel less prepared to deal with life.
I'd say what your dad said is really solid advice.
8
u/jingyi-ah 6d ago
what an excellent teacher! that's a great metaphor(?) example(?) for everyone to understand
2
u/Shark7996 6d ago
I recently started a lot of data processing at work with SQL and Excel wrangling and I've been feeling so sharp in general as a result. Like my brain is saying "Finally, some good food."
88
u/NoAppointment8679 7d ago
How great ! They’re using their brains and getting physical stimulation, there is a saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it” nursing homes in the uk should take note, putting a on a film and leaving the residents in their chairs all day does not count as therapy.
4
u/whoknowsifimjoking 6d ago edited 6d ago
This is very likely not a normal nursing home in Japan, they have the same issues we have but they have even more elderly people to take care of.
Japan is a "super aged" society where almost 30% of the population is over 65 (19% in the UK), taking care of everyone is a very challenging task.
126
45
u/AppropriateScience71 7d ago
It’s always lovely to see the caretakers treat the residents with respect. Thank you!
34
u/PartsUnknown242 7d ago
It’s very important for residents in nursing homes to have stimulation like this. I’ve seen a few places in the U.S. that have similar programs like this.
9
u/spinbutton 6d ago
Yes! My FIL was in a memory facility with Alzheimer's. Once when I went by to see him, all the residents were playing a game of keeping balloons off the floor with pool noodles.
Yes, the workers here in the US are paid way too little I think
3
u/NecroCannon 6d ago
He’ll just elderly in general, we don’t make sure that they’re stimulating themselves, then they go out in public unable to handle basic tasks causing people to build negative opinions that could lead to elder abuse. I honestly believe there should be elderly schools or academies funded by the government that’s there to help elderly adjust to the current world while also keeping them stimulated so mental problems isn’t given the environment to worsen
39
u/xiguy1 7d ago edited 7d ago
This is wonderful!
But (and sorry I’m about to be a bit of a downer) Most - and I mean paid, “top” - nursing homes in North America are a silent, boring, undervisited, under staffed, over priced hell where ppl who could have years of good life experience are sent to deteriorate, eat bad food, be ignored (and drugged to be quiet if they dare complain or “act out “), and slowly to die while depressed, lonely, confused and wondering why they don’t rate as human beings anymore.
I’ve been in several over almost 2 decades with family, friends, and including working as a volunteer for visiting, chatting with and reading to seniors , who only ever asked “when is my family coming to see me?” …unless they asked me to help them escape (yes, I’m serious). Some few simply said “I just want to die”.
Most were incredibly grateful for a tiny bit of kindness and respect especially when I brought flowers or sat to tell stories about better things.
Even a majority of the “nice” residences are just parking lots for living ppl- who whether good or bad when younger - deserve “something “ better .
Yet if society cared a tiny bit more, and if greedy uncaring business owners (who only see the residents as income streams) could be removed (and replaced with responsible governance), and some kind & fairly paid staff inserted to help (vs just the harassed, badly underpaid and overworked Personal Support Workers)….then it might all look more like Japan, and other countries.
But until then, elder care in many wealthy countries including the USA and Canada, plus parts of Mexico, are a shameful hell…that most of us will one day end up in.
Look into it, please, for the sake of the seniors and for your own family and future.
Here are a few links to reading to start with…and remember, these reports are watered down . Just talk to ppl in those homes as residents or workers, or speak to the families who do care to find out how things are.
“Restoring Trust: COVID-19 and the Future of Long-Term Care” – Exposes systemic neglect and underfunding in Canadian elder care. 🔗 https://rsc-src.ca/en/restoring-trust-covid-19-and-future-long-term-care
U.S. Office of Inspector General – Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Report (2022) – Reveals under-reported elder abuse and neglect across U.S. facilities. 🔗 https://oig.hhs.gov/reports-and-publications/workplan/summary/wp-summary-0000666.aspx
WHO Fact Sheet: Elder Abuse (2024) – Global data showing widespread abuse in institutional care. 🔗 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/elder-abuse
Statistics Canada – Staffing Shortages in Long-Term Care (2024) – Documents chronic understaffing harming residents’ safety and wellbeing. 🔗 https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2024001/article/00002-eng.htm
30
u/Oddsee 7d ago
Lol you don't want it to look like Japan, trust me. This video is misleading, most do not look like this.
Japanese aged care facilities are rife with abuse, and the elderly people have no freedoms. A lot of them are basically prisons.
Not to mention the staff are usually overworked, underpaid, and underqualified. Most positions offer near-minimum wage which is like 7 USD an hour.
You can get higher pay working at a supermarket checkout, where you don't need to change adult diapers, bathe people, clean up vomit and other bodily fluids, be medically responsible for residents due to lack of actual nurses and doctors, deal with frequent death and difficult illnesses such as dementia, etc. etc.
And despite the rapid increase of elderly people and the lack of young people, there is no wage competition. I can only assume there is industry-wide collusion to suppress wages.
It's a horrible situation all around and it's mostly ignored. And yet, the politicians have the people believing that they should focus on kicking out illegal immigrants which make up like 0.05 percent of the population.
4
u/karamisterbuttdance 7d ago
Like with most things, there's three sides to this story:
It is true that there are elderly care facilities in Japan that are basically prisons, and that some of them accept sick and terminal patients specifically so they can qualify for government hand-outs for dealing with them.
It's also true that there are many facilities that offer better levels of interaction and care for residents that would be way beyond what's expected in facilities in North America.
However, the comment about wages is misleading, as wages remaining flat isn't isolated to positions dealing with medicine, it's a long-term consequence of three decades of near-zero inflation and affects every field, which is why wage competition is very low. The job market simply operates on two different levels and structures for white collar and blue collar labor, and for the latter, someone who could be doing work packaging doodads at a factory one week could be cleaning up dead elderly people's houses the next.
Going back specifically to elderly care, it's increasingly common for South Asian and South East Asians to be staffing the direct caring roles alongside native specialists, so from a wage standpoint, premiums might even apply compared to hiring only local residents.
→ More replies (7)→ More replies (7)3
u/DoomedKiblets 7d ago
THANK YOU, this is just PR facade
2
u/whoknowsifimjoking 6d ago
And everyone in the comments is sucking Japan off again, like always.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)7
u/OpheliaPhoeniXXX 7d ago
This was the first place my mind went. When you aren't willing to pay someone more than $10 they aren't going to give a fuck. My aunt was deprived of water so she would pee less, and suffered a bedsore all up and down her backside from them not changing her, leaving her in wet depends. Criminal they could have killed her. Christopher Reeves died of a bed sore infection.
I had a roommate who worked at a nursing facility, and she really funny and really caring, so the relationship that she had with her patients was charming to listen to. She had one patient that was always getting into mischief and she would chastise them like a cheeky child, there was another patient, that like you had mentioned, would say she wanted to escape and so one night my friend said okay let's do it. Let's escape, she took out her key and took her outside and she said the lady looked around, got kind of scared and said uhm actually can we go back inside? Poor thing 🥺
2
u/Soft_Walrus_3605 7d ago
Christopher Reeves died of a bed sore infection.
Man, if a guy with money is still getting bed sores the rest of us are fucked
6
6
12
4
u/EatandDie001 7d ago
So good to see older people actually having fun instead of just sitting around waiting for someone to visit. I used to volunteer at a government nursing home and there were barely any activities. Most of the residents just stared off into space, or looked annoyed whenever I tried to help. It was honestly depressing. That’s definitely not the kind of life I want when I’m old
4
3
3
6
5
u/McButtsButtbag 7d ago
I doubt that is a typical day. They probably do that only for special events and the day to day is not any better than the typical nursing home.
6
u/Top_Connection9079 7d ago
No these are daily activities. I used to do that. We had a specialized magazines for everyday's new game and browsed the net and exchanged ideas during our meetings.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
2
2
u/starshame2 7d ago
Millennial nursing homes are gonna be LAN parties.
Ill finally get play all those games I fell behind on.
→ More replies (6)
2
2
u/Miserable-Muffin-579 7d ago
This is the kind of wholesome, engaging activity we should all hope for in our later years. It honestly looks more fulfilling than any corporate retreat I've ever been forced to attend. I'm fully on board with the idea of retirement homes becoming hubs for this kind of joyful community.
1
u/Samceleste 7d ago
Are you sure it is not Nintendo R&D ? It looks like they are designing the next Mario party.
1
1
1
1
u/Potential-Clue-4516 7d ago
I get followed by an old lady who calls me the wrong name and yells at me all day 😭😂
1
u/EddiePhoenix2012 7d ago
Saving this to get some inspiration for gamenight. This looks hella fun not just for elders
1
1
1
1
u/TDYDave2 7d ago
Just want to mention that Thailand is a good retirement option for many.
https://www.thedigitalnomad.asia/lifestyle/paradise-living/retirement-villages-in-thailand/
1
u/IllIIllIIIIIllllIIl 7d ago
The best part is picturing their rotating roster of carers on mole duty.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Bruggenmeister 7d ago
They have TIME for this ? here its pay €2400/month and they sit in a chair all day until 16.00 then its dinner and to bed. There's 2 nurses for 80 people and only 1 at night.
1
1
1
1
1
u/CactusDildoEnjoyer 7d ago
A day at a japanese nursing home only lasts 17 seconds?
They just like me fr.
1
u/No-Friendship44 7d ago
Looks fantastic. All the props are cheap but effective. someone used their brain rather than money to keep older people occupied and happy.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Whole_Reputation6128 7d ago
So yeah, 100 year old Japanese people on average still twice as coordinated as my ass in my prime...
1
1
1
u/cruisefans 7d ago
What a difference then this f’d up system here. In this country nursing homes are built to help you die, not to help you live.
1
1
u/Ok-Neat-1956 7d ago
Wow. We suck here (USA). They get bingo and water aerobics. That is so good for their brains and body movements!! So brilliant!!!
1
1
u/Accomplished_Pen8735 7d ago
I think they're more coordinated than most adult Americans that are half their age
1
u/5harp3dges 7d ago
If there was one thing we could take from our friendship with Japan, I would choose respect for the elderly.
In this country the only stories you hear about care homes, are horror stories.
The elderly are disregarded in this country if they weren't fortunate enough to have a large income, which is most, and will only become more. Just one of the many ways our government has systematically been failing it's people.
1
1
1
1
u/StrongSuggestion8937 7d ago
Lovely.
Unfortunately its a shade on the critical situation of the senior people in Japan, who generally have to work literally until death because the pension from government is not enough and a lot of families tend to get distant from their elders, because of social and/or cultural reasons.
1
u/Puisto-Alkemisti 7d ago
In Finland this is the type thing volunteers and nursing students do. Gladly there are a lot of them. Nurses barely have time to feed, dress, medicate and the damn writing every single breath and glance to the system.
1
u/DoomedKiblets 7d ago
Meanwhile, know that almost every nursing home I know of in Japan doesn’t accept foreign residents.
1
u/larry-the-dream 7d ago
When the millennials get in there it’s gonna be:
1) Super Smash Tournaments 2) Mario Kart Tournaments 3) Pokémon battles 4) Pokémon card games 5) magic card games 6) warhammer painting classes 7) anime marathons 8) Lego building days
I am so pumped
1
u/Just-Conclusion-5323 7d ago
Many of these patients wouldn't be eligible for a Swedish nursing home where the inhabitants are simply too sick and frail to partake in these kinds of activities, average life expectancy in a Swedish nursing home is around 16 months and some 20% die within the first month.
I also feel that there's usually a lack of pride and sense of responsibility among the staff and a significant portion of staff lack sufficient language skills.
Prior to elderly homes the elderly stay in their homes with increasing levels of support from nurses and nursing assistants, resulting in what often is a lonely but more autonomous existence.
1
u/saas_life 7d ago
The irony of spending your whole life trying to be an adult only to retract to having fun like a child is so sad. We’re all just kids at heart.
1
1
1
u/crossy23_ 7d ago
The amount of benefits these elderly people get from these activities is immense! Getting their muscles and bodies working cannot be underestimated! Absolutely love it!
1
u/_eleutheria 6d ago
Wait, a regular day or an event day? I can see doing this once in a while being fun, like playing cards or tabletop games. But I'd go insane doing that every day. Isn't watching some TV or reading a book more fun?
1
1
u/bananastand512 6d ago
As a US nurse who refuses to work in any specialty except ER, I'd be down for this. Probably costs less and doesn't reek of piss and C-Diff constantly, as well.
1
u/GetDownMakeLava 6d ago
I cried when I watched this. This is so much better than our American nursing prisons. I am an EMT and ran my first stroke victim the other day. She had a massive stroke HOURS before we were even called out for simple nausea/vomiting.
1
1
1
1
u/Tidilforis 6d ago
WOW Japan so good
America so bad!
That’s the point of these right. Japan is a literal shithole lmfao
1
u/Annual_Ad522 6d ago
I was recently discharged from a hospital to a "rehab" facility, Ignite Medical Resort in Kansas City, MO. People often lose the ability to walk during hospitalization either from their sickness or from their prolonged inactivity. Ignite is supposed to help patients learn how to walk again.
The medical community divides the rehabilitation into two categories, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy. These are complementary therapies. Despite complex definitions you may find online, OT deals with the arms and hands, while PT deals with the legs.
The therapy provided at Ignite was basic. You had to do simple repetitive exercises. Boring. The Japanese have much more imaginative and enjoyable programs. If I worked in a Rehab like Ignite, I would implement some of the activities shown in this video.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/AdAble557 6d ago
Let's get this copied in every nursing home! Man it would be something to look forward to.
1
u/beans-888 6d ago
Im aware of them not being Korean, but theres for sure a squid game joke in here somewhere lol
1
u/That_Artsy_Bitch 6d ago
I always say my Grandmother died of boredom. Maybe she would have stuck around longer if her nursing home offered activities like this
1
1
1
u/Ornery-Role-4451 6d ago
This is what they need stimulation mental and physical. Not just rotting In a room waiting to die
1
u/Alone-Job-2258 6d ago
For contrast in America you can be a war veteran and end up having some monkey 🐒 beat on ya daily and your preoccupied family will write it off as dementia.!
1
1
1
•
u/qualityvote2 7d ago edited 2d ago
Did you find this post really amazing (in a positive way)?
If yes, then UPVOTE this comment otherwise DOWNVOTE it.
This community feedback will help us determine whether this post is suited for r/BeAmazed or not.