The system
介護（kaigo）: long-term care
Care for daily living: bathing, meals, mobility, supervision. The word behind every term below.
介護保険（kaigo hoken）: long-term care insurance
Japan's public care insurance: premiums from age 40, services after certification, municipally run.
要介護認定（youkaigo nintei）: care-need certification
The municipal assessment that unlocks covered services. Takes about a month; not retroactive.
要支援1–2（youshien）: support levels 1–2
Lighter certification levels for largely independent people needing preventive support.
要介護1–5（youkaigo）: care levels 1–5
The five care-need levels, from partial daily assistance (1) to near-total care (5). Sets the monthly coverage limit.
認定調査（nintei chousa）: assessment visit
The home interview measuring daily-life difficulty for certification. Concrete examples matter more than stoicism.
主治医意見書（shujii ikensho）: doctor's opinion
The physician's report required for certification, prepared by the parent's regular doctor.
区分変更（kubun henkou）: level change request
Re-assessment request when needs change mid-certification, commonly after hospitalization.
ケアプラン（care plan）: care plan
The service plan a care manager builds within the certified level's monthly limit.
単位（tan'i）: units
The currency of covered services; each service costs units against the level's monthly allowance.
The people
ケアマネジャー（care manager / kea mane）: care manager
Plans and coordinates covered services after certification, at no user charge. Works in Japanese.
地域包括支援センター（chiiki houkatsu shien center）: community support center
The free municipal consultation window for everything elderly. The first call in most situations.
ホームヘルパー（home helper）: home-care worker
Visiting care staff for personal care and defined daily-life support under a care plan.
医療ソーシャルワーカー（MSW）: medical social worker
The hospital's discharge and welfare coordinator; the person to find in week one of any admission.
地域連携室（chiiki renkei shitsu）: discharge planning office
The hospital department that manages discharge timing and destinations.
民生委員（minsei iin）: welfare commissioner
Volunteer neighborhood welfare contacts who quietly watch over older residents.
社会福祉協議会（shakyou）: social welfare council
Local welfare organizations running volunteer services, including daily money management help.
ヤングケアラー（young carer）: young carer
A child or young person carrying adult-sized care duties; formally recognized, with support routes.
Services at home
訪問介護（houmon kaigo）: home-visit care
Covered visits for personal care and defined housework. Task-based, not companionship.
訪問看護（houmon kango）: home-visit nursing
Medical care at home under a doctor's instruction: wounds, medication, condition monitoring.
訪問入浴（houmon nyuyoku）: home-visit bathing
A crew brings a portable tub for a full bath at the bedside. No Western equivalent.
デイサービス（day service）: day service
Daytime center with bathing, meals, and activities. The workhorse of social contact and caregiver relief.
デイケア（day care / tsuusho riha）: day rehabilitation
Day program centered on rehabilitation, run with medical staff.
ショートステイ（short stay）: short stay (respite)
Facility stays from days to about two weeks: respite, recovery, and a gentle facility rehearsal.
定期巡回・随時対応（teiki junkai）: patrol and on-call care
Multiple short visits day and night plus a 24-hour response line. The covered answer to round-the-clock need.
福祉用具貸与（fukushi yougu taiyo）: equipment rental
Covered rental of beds, walkers, rails, and wandering sensors through the care plan.
住宅改修（juutaku kaishuu）: home modification subsidy
Covered handrails, step elimination, and bathroom changes, commonly up to ¥200,000 per home.
介護タクシー（kaigo taxi）: care taxi
Wheelchair-capable taxis with care-trained drivers, booked ahead, mostly private-pay.
Facilities and housing
特別養護老人ホーム（tokuyou）: special nursing home
Publicly oriented, lower cost, generally care level 3+ for new admission, often wait-listed.
介護老人保健施設（rouken）: geriatric health facility
Rehabilitation-focused transitional stays, typically after hospitalization. Not a permanent home.
介護医療院（kaigo iryouin）: care medical facility
Long-term facilities for people whose needs are heavily medical as well as care.
グループホーム（group home）: dementia group home
Small dementia-care units, usually requiring residency in the same municipality.
有料老人ホーム（yuuryou roujin home）: paid elderly home
Private homes from modest to luxury. Care-staffed (kaigo-tsuki) or residential (juutakugata) with external care.
サ高住（sakouju）: serviced senior housing
Barrier-free rentals with monitoring and consultation; care arranged externally. Japan's assisted-living layer.
重要事項説明書（juuyou jikou setsumeisho）: disclosure document
The mandatory facility disclosure: real costs, staffing, and exit conditions. Read before touring.
身元保証人（mimoto hoshounin）: guarantor
The personal guarantor hospitals and facilities commonly require; services exist where no family is local.
Money
自己負担（jiko futan）: co-payment
The user's 10–30% share of covered service costs, set by income.
高額介護サービス費（kougaku kaigo service hi）: high-cost care refund
Refunds co-payments above income-tied monthly ceilings. Applies automatically or by application.
限度額適用認定証（gendogaku nintei-shou）: limit application certificate
Caps hospital bills at the income ceiling at the payment window instead of by later refund.
差額ベッド代（sagaku bed dai）: private room charge
Hospital charges for private rooms; refusable in principle when hospital-initiated rather than requested.
成年後見制度（seinen kouken）: adult guardianship
Court-appointed authority for people who can no longer decide; months to set up, professionally supervised.
任意後見（nin'i kouken）: voluntary guardianship
Notarized in advance while capable, naming who will act later. Japan's nearest thing to a durable POA.
家族信託（kazoku shintaku）: family trust
Contract placing assets under a family member's management; flexible, professionally drafted.
日常生活自立支援事業（nichijou seikatsu jiritsu shien）: daily money management service
Welfare-council help with bills and banking for people with declining judgment.
Medical and end of life
かかりつけ医（kakaritsuke-i）: regular doctor
The family physician whose opinion anchors certification and whose voice persuades parents.
訪問診療（houmon shinryou）: home medical visits
Scheduled doctor visits at home for patients who struggle to travel; backed by 24-hour support clinics.
お薬手帳（okusuri techou）: medication notebook
The pocket medication record every pharmacy updates. The fastest answer to what is she taking.
認知症（ninchishou）: dementia
The umbrella diagnosis behind much of elder care; early support teams exist in most municipalities.
徘徊（haikai）: wandering
Dementia-related leaving and getting lost; municipal registries and covered sensors address it.
看取り（mitori）: end-of-life care
Care through dying, at home or in facilities that accept it. Ask facilities directly about their mitori policy.
死亡診断書（shibou shindansho）: death certificate
The doctor's certificate that starts all post-death procedures.
死後事務委任契約（shigo jimu inin）: post-death affairs mandate
A contract arranging the practical steps after death when no family member is nearby.
How to use this page
Bookmark it for the next municipal call or care-plan meeting, and link to it freely: this glossary exists to be shared. Each term has its own page with practical context, and the system itself starts with our long-term care insurance guide. Definitions are general orientation; rules vary by municipality, and our editorial policy explains how we source and correct content.