Japanese VTT to study Eldercare in San Diego
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| l to r: E. Maruyama, M. Hayafune, M. Takahashi, Dr. Y. Fumimura, T. Uchida and K. Anegawa |
On March 30, 2014, a Vocational Training Team (VTT) arrived from District 2770 (japan) This is a health care team that is here to study how health care and supportive care is provided to the elderly in San Diego. Like San Diego, Japan has a large component of elderly that need medical and other services.
The six members of the team are pictured above. 5 are healthcare workders (including 1 physician) and a Rotarian team leader.Emiko Maruyama - a care manager, Megumi Takahashi - a medical radiographer, and Ken Anegawa - a care worker are here to study dementia care in San Diego. Toru Uchida - a care manager wants to learn about medical service and welfare in San Diego. Dr. Yuichi Fumimura - a physician,a is here to learn about medical care in San Diego. The team leader is Rotarian Masafumi Hayafune, who works in real estate management.
On Monday, March 31 the VTT was able to relax and recover from the travel from Japan. They visited the Carlsbad Hi Noon Rotary Club.
On Tuesday, April 1, their learning experiences began. First on the list was a morning visit to the headquarters for Elizabeth Hospice in Rancho Bernardo. Here topics of presentations were: a. Hospice and Palliative Care delivery in the U.S., b. Hospice for Dementia Patents, c. Support for Caregivers, and d. Spiritual Care of Patients with Dementia. In the afternoon, the team visited Casa De Las Campanas, a large senior residential facility in Rancho Bernardo. This facility has a lot of amenities for its health residents. It also has in-apartment nursing care, assisted living care, an a skilled nurshing facility as well as Alzheimer's care. The last facility the team was to visit was Sunshine Care: an Assisted Living Facility in Poway.
On April 2, the team was tranported to the Silverado Encinitas Memory Care Facility. This facility in Encinitas is a residential treatment and day care for patients with dementia and Alzheimer's Disease. After the day there, the VTT will go to a Padres baseball game.
On the morning of April 3, the VTT will visit the Senior Behavioral Health Program at the UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest. This is an inpatient unit for seniors with psychiatric issues. After lunch, the team will visit Imaging Center at UCSD ADRC - state of the art MRI and PET amyloid imaging, which enhances diagnostic assessment of Alzheimer's disease.
The next day, Friday April 4, the team will visit Shiley - Marcos Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCSD. Here they will view the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Center process, neurology exams and the Quality of Life Programs overview in the morning. After lunch they will continue with discussions of Quality of Life.
During the weekend, the team will have time to explore the tourist attractions in San Diego.
On Monday April 7, the VTT will spend the day at the Pacific Center for Neurologic Disease in Poway.
On Tuesday April 8, the team's day will spent at St. Paul's Community Center. Here they will learn about Intergenerational program, assisted living and memory care programs, independent living and skilled nursing care and St Paul's PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly)
On Wednesday, the VTT will have a discussion about hospice care with Dr. Panzer of Elizabeth Hospice and visit the Southern Caregiver Resource Center. On Thursday, the team will visit Sunrise at La Costa and ActiveCare at Rolling Hills Ranch.
The VTT's final learning day will be spent visiting the Alheimer's Association in San Diego in the morning. After lunch, the team will participate in a Quality of Life Program experience - Memories at the Museum of of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. In the evening, the team will attend a potluck at the home of San Diego VTT Chair, Dr. Janice Kurth.
The Vocational Training Team will depart San Diego on April 12. You can readily see that they will have seen and learned quite a lot in their 2 week visit to San Diego. District 5340 VTT Chair Dr. Janice Kurth can be proud of the excellent schedule of educational opportunities that she organized for this vocational team's visit. Special recognition additionally goes to Peggy Martin, Dick and Lynn Stevens, Wayne and Patty Goodermote, Doug Clements, Sharon Green, Cindy Goodman and St. Paul's Center for being hosts for these special visitors from Japan.