The parent goes out for the day to a center with bathing, meals, and activities, and it carries two loads at once: their isolation and the family's exhaustion. It is the most-used service for good reason. Parents often resist the first visit, hearing an old-age home; most settle once they go. From abroad, lean on the care manager to find a center that fits the parent's temperament rather than the nearest one.
A typical day
Day service (tsuusho kaigo) runs on a pickup schedule. A van collects the parent in the morning, and the day brings bathing, lunch, exercise and group activities. The van brings them home in the late afternoon.
Time bands run from three hours up to eight or more, and seven-to-eight-hour days are a common choice. Small centers with 18 or fewer places are community-based day services and generally take only residents of their own municipality. For dementia there is a separate type capped at 12 places, with more staff per person.
Eligibility and cost
Care levels 1 to 5 can use day service under insurance. People at support levels use their municipality's own day programs instead.
The fee depends on the hours, the care level and the size of the center, and the parent pays 10% to 30% of it. Lunch and diapers are charged separately at each center's own rates.
Choosing a center
Centers differ a lot. Ask whether there is a lift bath for someone who cannot step into a tub, how far the van travels, how many people attend each day and whether a therapist is on staff. A trial visit helps with a reluctant parent.
On the first day a relative or the care manager can come along. If the parent feels unwell during the day, the center calls the emergency contact, so list someone in Japan who can respond quickly.
If the goal is recovery after a hospital stay, day rehabilitation may fit better. The day services article compares typical costs, and the cost simulator shows how a weekly schedule fits under the monthly ceiling.
Read more: Day services explained
Related terms
- デイケア（day care / tsuusho riha）— day rehabilitation
- ショートステイ（short stay）— short stay (respite)
- 訪問介護（houmon kaigo）— home-visit care
Where to go next
This word will come back at the home assessment or in the first care plan. The full Japanese elder care glossary holds 54 terms, and the long-term care insurance guide shows where each one sits in the process.
If you would rather someone handled the Japanese side, our care navigation service does that, and the first consultation is 30 minutes and free. Definitions here are general orientation and rules vary by municipality; see our editorial policy or contact us with your situation.