Visits where residents can meet each other with a smile Why a welfare facility that protects the safety and security of the elderly introduced MEDICON│Interview with the company that introduced MEDICON

In the Corona Disaster, many elderly care facilities are looking for safe visiting methods for residents and their families. Hayama Seijuen is one such facility. This facility has been striving to create an environment where residents can meet their family members offline with a smile, so they turned their attention to MEDICON, a protective suit that allows residents to “see” and “touch” each other during visits. Here, we asked them to tell us how they came to introduce MEDICON and their impressions of its use.

Hayama Seijuen Nursing and Welfare Facility for the Elderly Business

Q1. What are your main businesses?

A. Our business was incorporated in 1991 and celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021. In addition to operating two special nursing homes for the elderly, which provide bathing, meals, toileting, functional training, and health management for the elderly who require constant nursing care, we also provide day care services and short stay services, and in 2000, when the nursing care insurance system was introduced, we started an in-home nursing care support business. In 2000, when the long-term care insurance system was introduced, we started our in-home care support business. We have also established group homes and responded to various forms of long-term care. Since 2020, we have also been commissioned by the town of Hayama to provide a comprehensive support center.

How did you learn about MEDICON?

Q2. How did you come to know about MEDICON and its manufacturer, Taiyo Kogyo?

A. I first learned of the development of the “MEDICON” protective suit from a magazine I was casually reading. At first, I did not even know what kind of company the manufacturer, Taiyo Kogyo, was. But as I looked into it, I became interested in the information that “the company makes tents and other products using membrane materials” and that “they make protective suits from tent materials. I thought that with such suits, residents and their families would be able to visit safely and securely at the Corona Disaster.

But when I told my colleagues about MEDICON, they just said, “Hmmm” (laughs). I also talked to the director of the facility, but he said, “The price is ……,” and we did not introduce the system at that time.

Reasons for Introducing MEDICON

Q3. Why did you change your mind from your original idea to introducing MEDICON?

A. A major factor was the third wave of the explosive spread of new coronavirus infections. As we implemented various infection control measures, we also temporarily suspended visits to protect the safety of our residents. That’s when I remembered the “MEDICON” protective suit.

MEDICON can cover the entire body with a “membrane,” providing strong anti-splash protection. In addition, the inside of the suit is always ventilated to keep the wearer cool, and it is easy to put on and take off after use, so there is little burden on the wearer. The fact that the suit can be reused was also attractive to us, and we decided to introduce it.

Medicon's "good points."

Q4. What is the best thing about using MEDICON?

A. The most joy for our staff is when a family member of a resident says, “This is the only facility where I can visit in person, not online. It is the greatest joy for our staff to hear them say, “Thank you.

As the Corona disaster has dragged on, online visitation using smartphones and computers has been widely introduced. However, many elderly people are not comfortable talking through a screen. In addition, some people with dementia may not be able to recognize their family member’s face through the screen and may not be able to have a conversation.

If this situation persists, family members may withdraw from visits because they “can’t talk anyway. This would reduce the opportunities for communication as a family. MEDICON can solve this situation by actually “meeting” and “touching” them.

Outlook for the Future

Q5. Will you continue to use Medicon?　Please tell us about your future visitation methods.

A. We will change the visiting method in the future in a flexible manner, based on a comprehensive assessment of the increasing number of infected people in the area, their ages, and the duration of the vaccine’s effectiveness.

The proposal we have now is that if a family member is vaccinated or can bring a negative certificate from a PCR test taken within a week, we will ask them to visit us in person while wearing a mask. However, it is still difficult for us to ask you to enter the resident’s living space as you do when wearing the MEDICON.

We would like the family members to see the resident “living” in the facility. If they see the residents in the visiting area, they will be nervous and will not be able to smile naturally. I think there is still a lot of room for Medicon to make contact in the living space in order to realize true communication among family members.

 

*”Medicon/Medicon” is not a medical device under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law.
*This product is intended to reduce droplets during face-to-face contact and does not guarantee prevention of infection by viruses.

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