{"id":6324,"date":"2025-09-09T14:50:57","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T05:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sphstoriesstg.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=6324"},"modified":"2025-10-06T19:01:55","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T10:01:55","slug":"sompo-care_private-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.sompo-hd.com\/en\/business-innovation\/sompo-care_private-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Personalized care to help seniors live out their dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fulfilling a 97-year-old\u2019s dream to climb Mt. Fuji<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Setting off for Mt. Fuji, flag in hand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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At the Nakamura Park branch of Sompo-no-Ie, a nursing care home we operate, 97-year-old resident Shoji Ogawa had one passionate wish. “I want to climb Mt. Fuji,” he says. To make this dream a reality, the entire facility came together to create a personalized plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative was sparked by a staff member\u2019s heartfelt motivation to help Mr. Ogawa regain confidence and a sense of accomplishment through the mountain climbing experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Overcoming obstacles to make a dream come true<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Attempting Mt. Fuji at age 97 presented many challenges: physical strain from long travel, adjusting to local conditions, coordinating with family, and decreased stamina from lower food intake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To overcome these, a detailed plan was drawn up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Using a reclining wheelchair for comfortable travel<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Strength training with wheelchair footrests<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Adjustments to make the journey by car more comfortable<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Thorough preparation, including practice climbs before the actual challenge<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    With the whole facility cheering him on, Mr. Ogawa reached the fifth station of Mt. Fuji. Amid the misty, ethereal scenery, he gazed intently at the inscriptions on the stone monument and shed tears of joy.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    Mr. Ogawa on reaching the fifth station of Mt. Fuji<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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    I’m so glad I made it. Thank you, thank you! I’ll come back on a clear day and try again. I’ll do it once more!<\/p>\nShoji Ogawa<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Precious time with family beneath the flowers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    At Sompo-no-Ie\u2019s S Kyoto Higashimuko branch, Takashi Horibata wished to enjoy hanami with his family. Sompo Care Kyoto Yamashiro\u2019s Private Services helped bring to life Mr. Horibata\u2019s vision of himself immersed again in the Japanese tradition of enjoying cherry blossoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Since the COVID-19 pandemic, going out had generally become difficult for Mr. Horibata. To ensure he could enjoy the day with peace of mind, staff took extra care in preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • Visiting and telling Mr. Horibata “Let\u2019s go see the cherry blossoms” to motivate him<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Building stamina through regular rehab and daily care<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Monitoring health closely in the days leading up to the hanami<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      At last, the day arrived and Mr. Horibata spent a peaceful day with family and staff under a canopy of cherry blossoms in full bloom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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      Commemorative photo with family under cherry blossoms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Paying a visit to the family grave too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      In addition to viewing the blossoms, Mr. Horibata was able to visit his family grave for the first time in years. Having served for many years as a school principal, he was awarded the Order of Merit for Education in 2019. True to Japanese tradition, he reported this honor to his ancestors at the grave. Although normally on oxygen therapy, arrangements were made to remove his oxygen briefly during photographs, with careful consideration for his wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n

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      Mr. Horibata sharing news of his decoration with his ancestors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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      I feel so blessed and my nurse came along to help. I was able to show my ancestors the medal I received from the Emperor. I\u2019m overwhelmed with gratitude.<\/p>\nTakashi Horibata<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      Supporting the lives people desire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      At Sompo Care, we believe age should never mean giving up on your dreams. Sompo Care’s Private Services go beyond traditional care. They help realize individual wishes and let each person lead the life they desire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Sompo Care\u2019s Private Services go above and beyond standard nursing home care. The tailored care makes possible lives that truly reflect individual needs and desires.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":5881,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[60],"class_list":["post-6324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-innovation","tag-caregiving"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.sompo-hd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.sompo-hd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.sompo-hd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.sompo-hd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.sompo-hd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6324"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/stories.sompo-hd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7198,"href":"https:\/\/stories.sompo-hd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6324\/revisions\/7198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.sompo-hd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stories.sompo-hd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.sompo-hd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stories.sompo-hd.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}