When a parent's needs are as much medical as everyday, with ongoing treatment alongside daily care, this long-term facility combines both under one roof. It suits people too medically complex for an ordinary nursing home but not needing an acute hospital. Families rarely know the category and get steered between hospital and home with no fit. If care and medicine are both heavy, ask the medical social worker whether this is right.
Read more: Care facility categories
Related terms
- 特別養護老人ホーム（tokuyou）— special nursing home
- 医療ソーシャルワーカー（MSW）— medical social worker
- 看取り（mitori）— end-of-life care
Getting help with this
See the full Japanese elder care glossary, or start with our long-term care insurance guide. If you would rather have someone handle the Japanese side, our care navigation service helps foreign families step by step, and you can contact us with your situation. Definitions are general orientation; rules vary by municipality (see our editorial policy).