"I can't find a nursery center" -How to support children with medical care-April 20, 15:49

"I was shocked that it was so difficult for me to leave my child at a nursery school because of my disability, and it was not natural for my parents to work."

This email was sent to NHK by my mother in Saga City in February this year.

Her mother says she fell into a sense of social rejection as she searched for her nursery.

Medical care children who need daily care such as nutritional supplementation and ventilation due to illness or disability.

How should we support our children and their families?

(Saga Broadcasting Station reporter Yuko Watanabe)

24-hour medical care

My name is Ai Maekawa and I live in Saga City.

Her son, Hiromu (2), hasn't settled down yet and can't get up.

Since you cannot eat rice or drink water, you need a medical care "stomach fistula" that injects nutrients directly into the stomach with a tube connected to the stomach.

Replenish water and medicine at least four times a day, morning and noon, and evening and night.

Mr. Maekawa separated from her husband and responded 24 hours a day.

The long-awaited first child

Hiromu-kun was given to me in March.

It was the long-awaited first child.

However, something happened on the 20th day after his birth.

He fell into a symptom of a sharp drop in blood pressure.

Although hard treatment was performed, sequelae remained throughout the body.

Mr. Maekawa

"When Hiromu's condition suddenly changed, it was just the time of the cherry blossoms, but I was so shocked that the cherry blossoms weren't colored. I felt like we were in another world. bottom"

The reaction of the nursery school "Do you want to leave such a child?"

It's been two years since I was raising a child in Corona.

Mr. Maekawa has been raising Hiromu-kun hard, even though he feels lonely.

However, in order to return to the workplace where I was absent from childcare leave, the search for a nursery school that I started in June last year has further hunted down Mr. Maekawa mentally.

Mr. Maekawa first went to the local city hall to find a nursery school.

She sought to get information about a nursery center that has a proven track record of accepting children with medical care.

However, there was no list of such nurseries and no information was available.

The next thing I tried was searching using the Internet.

By checking the "Nurse" column in the list of nursery schools posted, we were able to narrow down the kindergartens where nurses are located.

I called in order from the nursery center near my home and gradually expanded the range.

When I was told that I could come to the tour, I went with Hiromu-kun.

However, I quickly realized that having a nurse does not mean that I would be accepted.

They continued to be refused because of the lack of experience of nurses and the small facilities.

Calls that could only be made two or three times a day due to the heavy mental burden.

At one point she was asked, "Do you want to leave a child in that state?"

After she hung up, her tears spilled.

Mr. Maekawa says that he still cannot completely accept Hiromu-kun's illness.

By explaining Hiromu-kun's situation many times and continuing to be refused, I felt like I was rejected by society because of my illness.

Mr. Maekawa:

"I understand the condition of my child in my head, but by putting it into words, I can remind myself that my child is bedridden, needs medical care, and is heavy with disabilities. I mean, it made me realize that it was a serious obstacle that society couldn't accept, or I was confronted with the reality. "

Increasing number of medical care children

Medical care children whose daily life is indispensable for medical treatment such as nutritional supplementation with gastric fistula and wearing a respirator.

It is estimated that there are 20,000 people nationwide.

It is increasing as medical care develops and lives that could not be saved until now are saved.

A national issue is how to provide children with options such as education and how to reduce the mental burden on parents.

For this reason, the government enacted the first law, "Medical Care Child Support Law," in September last year to promote support for families.

The support of the national and local governments for children and families was positioned as a "duty" rather than an "obligation to make efforts".

"Preventing family turnover" is also one of the purposes of the law, and elementary schools and nursery schools all over the country are currently preparing for acceptance.

However, each child with medical care has different symptoms, and it takes time to prepare an environment that suits each child.

According to Saga Prefecture, as of April, there are only four nursery schools and kindergartens in the prefecture that accept medical care children.

How to secure the experienced nurses needed to accept them has become a major issue.

In many cases, one nursery teacher is required for each care child, and it is important to secure human resources on the nursery side, and lack of knowledge in the field is also a barrier.

Junko Aramaki, Coordinator of Prefectural Medical Care Children,

"Nurses are not always people who have experience in the field of pediatrics or medical care, so if there is a nurse, it is not always accepted. Also, nursery schools are medical. I don't know what kind of child is a child who can spend time in a nursery school, so I think there is a lot of anxiety about not knowing. If you can't afford it, acceptance is difficult. "

The nursery center that accepts it

What kind of posture is the nursery center actually accepting medical care children?

I visited a public nursery school in Imari City, western part of the prefecture.

Since October last year, we have been accepting a 5-year-old boy with medical care.

The boy goes to the park with a nurse in the morning.

A nurse who works at a child development support facility that boys usually go to.

He regularly provides necessary care such as suctioning and wearing a ventilator during activity.

This nursery school works with the support facilities used by boys.

We realized the acceptance by having a nurse who is familiar with the boy's situation accompany us.

Nurses watch in the classroom in case of an emergency or need medical care.

On the other hand, most of the care, such as playing with other children and feeding them, is taken care of by the nursery teacher in charge.

Initially, we started with temporary childcare, focusing on short periods of time that did not require medical care.

Now, with the switch to formal admission, boys spend about three hours a day in the park.

As I gradually increased the time spent in the nursery school, the nursery teachers learned and gained experience every day.

Nursery teacher in charge of boys

"As I spend more time with my child, I've learned that there are many aspects that are the same as other children. Above all, I feel relieved to have a nurse to accompany me. , I'm completely left to the medical affairs and can concentrate on childcare. "

This is the first time this nursery has accepted a child with medical care.

At first, he thought about refusing, but he said he decided to accept it because of the strong demand from parents.

Director Kazuko Fukuda

"I had a strong desire to get in touch with children of the same age, even if it was just a little bit. The other day, I received a word from a parent (boy) looking forward to the nursery school. I was really happy with that word. "

Mother who kept being refused The day of her first visit to the park

Mr. Maekawa of Saga City, who had been refused the acceptance destination.

On the 5th of this month, I took Hiromu-kun in a car and headed for a nursery center in the city.

After spending more than half a year searching, I finally found a place to accept it, and it was my first time to go to the park on that day.

The one who gave his name was a nursery school that once refused to accept nurses because he could not secure them.

The acceptance was realized while the garden side reviewed the staffing and the government also consulted.

For the next few months, Mr. Maekawa will accompany him to inform the nursery nurses about the medical care that Hiromu needs.

It takes 20 minutes by car from home to the nursery center.

Hiromu-kun spends about 2 hours in the nursery school, which is a short start.

Mr. Maekawa's return to work is likely to be a long way off.

Still, she feels she's finally "accepted".

Mr. Maekawa

"I was wondering if it would be difficult to work because I couldn't leave it anywhere, but I'm relieved that there is only one place that says" it's okay. "

" Let's grow together. " I was happy to hear that. I hope it will be an environment where you can grow up in various places such as a nursery center. "

"Grow together".

And a society where everyone can continue to work as a matter of course, regardless of the situation of their children.

Mr. Maekawa hopes for the future.

Saga Broadcasting Station Reporter

Yuko Watanabe Reiwa

2nd year Joined the station

Covering social issues surrounding children such as young people who have difficulty living with their parents