MetLife Foundation and The Nippon Foundation Complete First of 10 Home-Like Hospices“MetLife Foundation and The Nippon Foundation: ‘Better Life Better Place’ for the Elderly and Children” program

The MetLife Foundation and The Nippon Foundation announced on December 12 the launch of Shared House Satchan-chi, a home-like hospice for older people located in Otsuki, Yamanashi Prefecture. The hospice is part of the “MetLife Foundation and The Nippon Foundation: ‘Better Life Better Place’ for the Elderly and Children” program, which is funded by donations from the MetLife Foundation, and is the program’s first home-like hospice for older people.

Amid the accelerated aging of Japanese society, there is a need for places where people can feel at ease at the end of their lives.^* This program offers people a final home where they can live out their days securely in a familiar, home-like atmosphere. The need for this type of facility is increasing in Otsuki, where roughly 40% of the population is 65 years old or older. As the city’s first shared house with nursing care services, this facility is expected to be a model for other areas facing similar issues.

• *A national survey of attitudes toward facing death conducted by The Nippon Foundation in November 2020 found that, while approximately 80 percent of people in Japan die in a hospital, about 60 percent of respondents chose their own home as the place where they would like their lives to end.
  https://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/who/news/pr/2021/20210329-55543.html
  (in Japanese only)

Features of the MetLife Foundation and The Nippon Foundation’s Shared House Satchan-chi

• Located close to the city center, the facility allows residents to spend their last days in a comfortable, familiar environment while receiving medical care.
• Partial subsidies help to cover the initial costs of moving in and the monthly fee for residents.
• A deck area for use by neighborhood residents free of charge is planned.
• Volunteers will increase the nursing care capacity of the entire area.

The “MetLife Foundation and The Nippon Foundation: ‘Better Life Better Place’ for the Elderly and Children” program contributes to the creation of vibrant communities through the construction of home-like hospices where older people can live their last days in comfort, and Children’s 3rd Places for children facing challenges in their daily lives. MetLife Japan employees also contribute to empowering local communities through volunteer programs at these facilities operated by The Nippon Foundation nationwide. These efforts seek to address the challenges facing Japan’s ultra-aging society including children, with the aim of building a sustainable society where no one is left behind. The program was launched in September 2021 with the donation of approximately ¥400 million from MetLife Foundation to The Nippon Foundation, and aims to develop 12 facilities – 10 home-like hospices and two Children’s 3rd Places – over three years.

Participants’ comments

Jumpei Sasakawa, Executive Director, The Nippon Foundation

The “MetLife Foundation and The Nippon Foundation: ‘Better Life Better Place’ for the Elderly and Children” program, which was launched with a roughly 400-million-yen donation from MetLife Foundation, supports home-like hospices for older persons and places for children outside the home and school. According to a survey conducted by The Nippon Foundation in 2020, roughly 60% of people chose “home” as the place where they want to spend the end of their lives. This means there is an urgent need for places with a home-like atmosphere where people can spend their last days while receiving individual care, and more assistance is required. The MetLife Foundation and The Nippon Foundation’s Shared House Satchan-chi, which opened today, is the program’s first facility, and I hope that it will be a place where people can live out their lives comfortably amid familiar surroundings.

Kohei Kai, Executive Officer, MetLife Insurance K.K.

I believe that continuously creating and providing value over the long term by working closely with our customers and local communities will lead to the realization of MetLife’s global corporate purpose of “Always with you, building a more confident future.” Through this program, our employees will volunteer to assist with the operation of hospices for older people and Children’s 3rd Places. We will continue to contribute to local communities, to build a more confident future together.

Notohiko Sekido, Director, Rakuda

This area does not have sufficient nursing care services, meaning that people have no choice but to enter a faraway facility even if they want to spend their last days at home. With this hospice for older people, together with small, multifunctional nursing care stations already in operation, we have been able to build a complete structure that will allow older people to spend their final days in familiar surroundings. Going forward, we will strive to be able to contribute to the community with the assistance of MetLife employee volunteers while remaining vigilant against the spread of coronavirus infections.

Noriko Horiuchi, Member, House of Representatives

As the local lower house representative, I am proud to see the opening of Shared House Satchan-chi in Saruhashi in the city of Otsuki, as the first facility of the “MetLife Foundation and The Nippon Foundation: ‘Better Life Better Place’ for the Elderly and Children” program. Saruhashi is a place that is full of love and kindness, and also home to the scenic Saruhashi bridge, one of Japan’s three “unusual bridges” and the pride of Yamanashi, and I am confident that this is tranquil setting is an ideal location.

Kuniyoshi Fujita, Saruhashi District Chief

Saruhashi District, in the former Kai Provence, is home to the Saruhashi bridge, which is known as one of Japan’s three “unusual bridges.” The city of Otsuki had a population of 40,000 people in 1955, but today the population has declined to roughly 25,000, of whom roughly 10,000 are 65 years old or older. Amid this rapid aging of the population, I hope that this hospice will be a place where anyone can live out their final days in familiar surroundings.

About MetLife Insurance K.K.

MetLife Japan started operations in 1973 as the first foreign life insurance company in Japan and currently operates as a Japanese corporation and an affiliate of MetLife, Inc., a leading global financial services company that aims to help people become more self-reliant and able to pursue more from life. MetLife Japan provides a broad, innovative range of products through diverse distribution channels to individual and institutional customers.

About MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation is committed to driving inclusive economic mobility for underserved and underrepresented communities around the world. The foundation collaborates with nonprofit organizations and provides grants aligned to three strategic focus areas – economic inclusion, financial health, and resilient communities – while engaging MetLife employee volunteers to help drive impact. MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 to continue MetLife’s long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Since 1976, MetLife Foundation has contributed over $900 million to strengthen communities where MetLife has a presence.

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