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Helping people to "live well" senior/nursing care businesses
Benesse's senior care and nursing care business was founded at the same time that the Company adopted its current name, and therefore it should be no surprise that this business epitomizes the corporate concept expressed in the "Benesse" name - "living well." The basic theme that underlies this business is to "provide services that we would desire for ourselves and our own families." Benesse's current company chairman, Mr. Fukutake, proposed this as a company theme after personally facing the issues that many of our customers must deal with, when he provided nursing care to his grandmother. The Benesse Group believes that nursing care should help seniors to prolong the period in which they can continue to live a normal daily life, and we have established a nursing care business which realizes this goal.
Initiatives in the senior/nursing care businesses
For example, nearly all of the more than 100 nursing care facilities that Benesse operates are located in residential neighborhoods of large cities. This makes it easy for family members to visit residents at any time, day or night. When new residents enter one of the Company's care facilities, both the prospective resident and their family come to a Benesse facility to talk with staff members and select a "lifestyle plan" that matches their needs and interests. Facilities are designed to help both the resident and their family to live as independent a lifestyle as they did before entering the facility, pursuing the same interests and personal activities as before. We want residents to maintain the sense that they are just "residing" at the facility, and thus maintain a strong desire to continue enjoying their lives from day to day. That sort of daily enjoyment of life epitomizes Benesse's approach to nursing care.
Benesse is also aggressively developing programs of "preventative care" to help seniors avoid the need for intensive nursing support. Dedicated staff make visits to each facility and work with residents to conduct preventative care programs that are not only enjoyable, but help the resident maintain their body functions and stimulate their zest for life. As a result, many residents find that they are more energetic and happy than they were before they entered the facility. The facilities maintain close to a 100% occupancy rate thanks to the support of customers.
Benesse also believes it is very important that the caregivers who work at our facilities are able to enjoy their lives to the fullest. In fiscal 2008 Benesse introduced revisions to its personnel policies with the aim of improving working conditions. We also provide thorough training and support programs to employees. Routine and repetitive tasks, such as clerical work, are outsourced so that Benesse caregivers can spend more of their time communicating with and spending time with the residents. A wide range of programs have been introduced to allow each staff member to provide care in ways that suit their own personalities and skills.
The thought of the Benesse group for the senior/nursing care businesses
As the percentage of elderly individuals in Japan's society continues to rise, so will the need for senior care and nursing care. At Benesse, we intend to continue providing nursing care services that help to enhance the quality of life for all of our customers. In this way Benesse will help everyone who is associated with its nursing care operations, residents, family members, caregivers and other staff, to enjoy their lives in the spirit of "Benesse" - living well.
