Taro Otsuka: A Good End

2020/12/15

For the past few years, I have had the opportunity to speak at my alma mater, SFC, about Ome Keiyu Hospital, the elderly medical and nursing care facility I manage. I am happy to have the chance to give back to my alma mater, which was a turning point in my life where I learned the attitude of "problem discovery and problem solving." Every time I step into the classroom where I was once welcomed as a "student from the future," the excitement I felt 28 years ago returns.

After graduating from the Faculty of Policy Management, I went on to the Juntendo University School of Medicine. I will omit the motivation for deciding to "become a doctor" just before job hunting due to space constraints.

After graduating from the School of Medicine and working as a doctor, I faced the deaths of elderly patients at university-affiliated hospitals. I would treat them desperately to try and keep them alive, but their condition would gradually worsen, and they would eventually pass away. Their bodies were connected to IV tubes, sometimes restrained, and swollen. Every time I saw them looking as if they had lost a battle with death, I was tormented by a sense of helplessness and guilt. In the midst of this, I witnessed the death of a female patient at Ome Keiyu Hospital, where I was working part-time. Her remains were beautiful; she had lived a natural and peaceful life until her final day without being forced to undergo unreasonable treatment as she gradually declined. Furthermore, a comment from her family startled me.

"It was a good end."

At the university hospital, I had been told, "Thank you for doing everything you could," but I had never been thanked with the words, "It was a good end." This became my formative experience, and I now serve as the manager of Ome Keiyu Hospital, whose philosophy is the "realization of a rich final stage of life."

What our hospital focuses on is whether the interactions and systems, including medical care, lead to good times and good memories for patients and their families—a "rich final stage of life." Although it is called a hospital, the top priority is the enjoyment of daily life, such as meals and seasonal events. On the other hand, medical care is positioned merely as one of the means to alleviate pain and realize a fulfilling time.

Our country has achieved the longest life expectancy in the world. On the other hand, the reason why the term "longevity" is no longer spoken of with a bright image may be partly because the current state of medical care and nursing care is not meeting people's expectations. In this country, which is a frontrunner in an aging society, I will constantly question current common sense and repeat problem discovery and problem solving. As a former "student from the future," I want to be a member who creates a better future myself.