Secondly, "Through crowdfunding, I hope to cover the cost of external training for staff to introduce specialized foot care (foot care) to visiting nurses!"

"The feet are the second heart" and "A cold head and warm feet" are some of the phrases related to health and medicine that relate to "feet".

Although it is almost uncommon to see them in Japan, some countries overseas have "foot" specialists and departments.

Normal visiting nurse services include care for ingrown nails and skin, but by incorporating specialized foot care (care for ingrown nails, ringworm, thickened nails, nail fungus, bunions, foot swelling, knee pain, and decreased function of the soles of the feet, etc.), you can expect to improve your physical condition and QOL, leading to "providing higher quality visiting nurses" (in many cases, medical and nursing care insurance is applied).

[Examples of specialized foot care]

- Nail care
If left unattended, the muscles (skin) that normally lie on top of the nails can cause ingrown nails and ingrown toenails. The muscles of the toes can push around the nails, causing the nails to become deformed. While applying a moisturizing serum to the nail, the dead skin around the nail is removed, and the entire nail is lifted from the foot muscles. Since the nail grows in the direction it is cut, nail care is performed to ensure that it grows in the correct direction. Not only can pain be relieved, but swelling on the top of the foot can also be improved.

・Sole care
If you get tired easily when walking, feel a sense of tension in the soles of your feet, or feel dull and heavy, you will lose the desire to walk. The root cause of this is often "flat feet" related to the arch of the foot. Sole care removes hardened dead skin and uses a special tool (reducer) to align the foot and toes. Adjusting the arch improves floating toes, releases blood vessels that have been compressed by hardened dead skin, and softens the muscles on the soles of the feet, absorbing irritation when walking.This makes it easier for the elderly to move, which is effective in preventing falls and reducing strain on the knees.

・Foot oil massage
First, an oil massage is performed from the feet to below the knees while lying on your back. Next, while lying on your back, an oil massage is performed from the feet to the top of the pelvis and hip joints, and then while lying face down, an oil massage is performed from the feet to the ischial bones. This improves foot swelling and posture, and loosens the hip joints, making it easier for caregivers to change diapers.

Background to the launch of the project

[What can be done from the grassroots in a super-aging society]

Japan is the world's top super-aging society (40-50% of the total population will be elderly in 20 years), with an aging rate of about 30%. In 2025, the baby boomer generation (about 8 million people) will become elderly (75 years old), and in 2040, the baby boomer juniors (same size) will become elderly (65 years old or older), so the elderly population is steadily increasing and the population structure is changing significantly. In order to reduce social security costs and clarify the role of medical institutions, the government is strongly promoting the expansion of the local medical, nursing, and welfare fields, aiming to realize a society (community-based comprehensive care system) where elderly people and patients who have been hospitalized in medical institutions and facilities for a long time can live a recuperative life at home with peace of mind. We are now in an era where elderly people and patients who have been hospitalized in medical institutions and facilities for a long time can return home early and spend their last days recuperating at home.

The community-based comprehensive care system is a system in which local governments, medical, nursing, and welfare-related institutions and businesses work together to support homebound patients so that they can maintain their quality of life and live their daily lives in their own way with peace of mind. There are approximately 7 million nursing care insurance users nationwide, of which 6 million are receiving homebound care (the remaining 1 million are in elderly care facilities, etc.). In order to live a comfortable life at home, a system is needed in which "medical care, nursing care, welfare, housing, and lifestyle support" are provided seamlessly and in an integrated manner according to the circumstances of the region. Initiatives based on self-care (self-help), mutual support (mutual aid), the social insurance system (mutual aid), and government services (public aid) are being promoted, with visiting nurses playing a central role.