June 15: Choju-kai

A man and woman speak across a medical bed in a hospital room. Today, we had the privilege of visiting a Choju-kai. Choju-kai is a nursing home that has been successfully operating since its founding in 1953. Here, long-term care, short-term care, and daycare services are offered for over 100 residents. There are approximately 100 staff working together at this facility to provide quality care for residents, including administration, nurses, kitchen staff, and occupational therapists. The mean age of all residents at Choju-kai is 92, and some residents have lived there for more than a decade!

Notably, the service cost was significantly lower than in the United States. With the help of long-term care insurance, a private room will cost approximately $1000 per month. Even without the insurance, the fee is around $3500 per month, which is still less than half of the average cost spent on nursing home facilities in the United States. Choju-kai is equipped with comprehensive amenities from a full kitchen, a medical suite, and a bathing facility to maintain and improve the residents' quality of life.

Students pose in front of a Buddha statue.

After visiting Choju-kai, we visited the Meigetsuin Temple, also known as the "hydrangea temple." Today was one beautiful rainy day, and blue hydrangeas were in full bloom. Lastly, we visited the great Buddha of Kamakura, which is 43 feet tall!

Nayeon Kim
PhD Student at UM School of Nursing

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