📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Keiyukai is one of the healthcare corporations incorporated in Osaka, and have 7 facilities in Osaka and Kyoto. Some of them are clinics and others are day-care facilities or nursing homes for seniors who need special treatment. Keiyukai celebrated 30th anniversary of the foundation in 2016.
Their visions are to provide support from senior’s point of view. They hear senior’s voice. They talk with them heart to heart. Every single day, stuff members put their first priority on the senior’s health/mental condition whether or not seniors are being pleasant. They also put great effort to merge each other’s specialty (as a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physical therapist, care worker etc) into a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. Keiyukai have been cooperating with CIEE in IVS project every summer since 2012 and it will be 7th year to run the project in 2017.
Keiyukai (JAPANESE): https://www.keiyukai-nakajima.jp/
💼 What the programme involves
-Volunteer work at 2 senior home (Takatsuki Megumi house in Osaka and Keiyunosato in Kyoto)
-At both facilities, they help in general duties of nursing care in the facilities for the elderly people aged 65 and up
-Assist activities such as exercises, songs, games, crafts and other daily works with Japanese staff who can not speak English. Senior who lives there also hardly speak English.
-Clean table, sheets, entrance, backyard and car
Your work here will be mainly talking to the people staying here to entertain them as the care workers are busy taking special cares such as getting them in a bath. It will be great if you could entertain them with music or magic or dance or anything that does not require language.
🏠 Accommodation on site
Accommodation:
First week, volunteers stay in the facility at Takatsuki Megumi house in Osaka. Then, they move to Keiyunosato in Kyoto on the second week.
Facilities:
Bedding will be provided. There are a washer, a small kitchen, and a shower room. Internet access is available in the office. Public phone, a small shop, and Internet café are nearby.
Meals:
Three meals a day will be provided.
📍 About the location
Takatsuki Megumi house is situated in Osaka, but it is close to Kyoto Station (12 minute train ride). Keiyunosato is located 30 minutes away from Kyoto station (15 minute train ride, and 5 minutes bus ride). During day-offs, volunteer enjoy sightseeing in Kyoto. Famous landmarks are Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto Imperial Palace, Heian Shrine, Kinkakuji and Arashiyama. A volunteer is recommended to prepare at least 5,000 JPY for leisure. An average allowance a volunteer prepares on their own are about 30,000 JPY because everything is expensive in big city like Osaka and Kyoto
⚠️ Requirements
1． Patience to carry on the project with a camp leader who translates care home staff and seniors Japanese into English. Please have no expectation for them to speak back to you in English.
2． A motivation letter (more than 5 sentences long) is required. Please include your interest, motivation, experience and strength of yourself in English or Japanese.
Please bring indoor shoes, toiletries, clothing suitable for the work, towels and sanitary goods. Volunteers are requested to introduce their own countries by showing photos and maps, introducing recipes, and teaching children’s songs and plays that the elderly people would enjoy.