Discovering the World of Rehabilitation at 68 September 2, 2026,Reiwa8 Day 6 at Dogo Onsen Hospital

Today is my sixth day at Dogo Onsen Hospital.

The bed sheets were changed today. Seeing the fresh sheets made me realize that almost a week has already passed.

And I suddenly found myself thinking:

Why am I here?

I was born and raised in Osaka. I went to university in Kobe and even spent some time in the United States. Later, I returned to Japan. My parents had moved to Nara, and I became a teacher in Osaka.

After only two years, I married my husband in Shizuoka. I took the teacher employment examination again and became a high school teacher in Shizuoka. I continued teaching until I retired at the age of 60.

Along the way, I also obtained a national qualification as an acupuncturist.

After retirement, I tried to make use of that qualification. I opened a small practice at home, where I offered acupuncture and also taught some English. It was never a highly profitable business, but there were people who came to see me as patients and students.

Then I began waiting for an opportunity to move to Eden no Sono in Matsuyama.

My son had moved to New Zealand, married, and had three children. As the cost of traveling to New Zealand became increasingly difficult for us, I gradually gave up the dream of spending more time there.

Instead, I wanted to live independently in Japan and not depend on my children as we grew older.

Last October, I made the decision to move to Eden no Sono. In February, I announced to my patients and students that I would be closing my practice.

I spent a long time sorting through my belongings and preparing to leave Shizuoka.

My husband still has work in Shizuoka, so he has not moved to Matsuyama with me yet.

I left Shizuoka on April 30 and began my new life in Matsuyama.

Life at Eden no Sono was much more enjoyable than I had expected.

I had stopped driving a car, so I bought an electric-assist bicycle. I found a gym about four kilometers away and went there almost every day.

I swam, did Zumba, enjoyed belly dancing, and explored the new city by myself.

I was having fun, but I was also very tired.

Shopping for food, putting away vegetables, thinking about what to cook, and managing meals for two people gradually became a burden.

Then I bought an electric-assist three-wheeled bicycle.

Because I am very slim, strong winds on bridges had frightened me when I was riding a regular bicycle. My husband bought the three-wheeled bicycle for me.

It was much more difficult to control than I had expected. But I practiced and eventually learned how to ride it.

Then came June 18.

I decided to visit a museum that I had not been to yet. I left Eden no Sono at around 11:00 in the morning.

Near the entrance to Eden no Sono, there is a pedestrian crossing with a push button.

I was riding on the left side of the road, as I always did. I reached out to press the button without getting off the bicycle.

The three-wheeled bicycle itself did not fall.

I did.

I fell and supported my entire body weight with my left hand.

My left upper arm fractured.

I was examined at the Red Cross Hospital that same day, but the surgery was not performed until a week later.

That week with my arm broken was extremely painful.

I remember thinking:

I want to be a child.

I wished I could simply cry like a baby and say, "It hurts. It hurts," without having to endure anything.

On June 26, I had surgery.

A titanium plate and several screws were placed in my left arm.

After leaving the hospital, I started rehabilitation, but I could not get enough rehabilitation treatment.

People around me, including doctors at Bethel Hospital, told me that Dogo Onsen Hospital would be a good place for rehabilitation.

Eventually, I began outpatient rehabilitation.

But I started thinking that staying in the hospital and receiving rehabilitation every day would be much better for me.

With the help of my doctors, I asked to be admitted.

After waiting another week because the hospital was almost full, I was finally admitted on August 28.

And now I am here.

One of the biggest shocks after being admitted was how difficult it was to move my left arm.

I used to be very flexible.

I could reach one hand over my shoulder and the other hand up from below my back and actually clasp my hands together.

Now, simply moving my left hand toward my buttocks caused pain.

I thought:

Maybe I will never be flexible like that again.

But I also realized something.

Even if I cannot move exactly as I did before, I can still live if I can regain enough movement to manage my everyday life.

That became my goal.

Here, I receive rehabilitation twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Each session lasts about 40 to 50 minutes.

There are many physical therapists and occupational therapists here. They carefully explain what they are doing while working with each patient.

On my first day, the chief therapist examined my body and explained very logically where I was stiff and why certain movements were difficult.

He said that the first step was to make the stiff areas softer and reduce the pain before adding more exercises.

That explanation made perfect sense to me.

I thought:

I am glad I came here.

Then, around the fourth day, I noticed something unexpected.

Without thinking about it, I reached behind me with my left hand and picked up my iPhone.

Afterward, I realized:

Wait. I just picked up my iPhone with my left hand from behind me.

I had not been able to do that before because of the pain.

I also used to be unable to hold a towel with both hands and rub my back in the bath.

But somehow, without consciously thinking about it, I found myself doing it.

I do not even remember exactly how I moved my arm.

The therapists told me that this is actually very important.

Being able to move naturally without consciously thinking about the movement is an important step in recovery.

When I think, "This is going to hurt," my body becomes tense.

When I become tense, I use too much strength.

Then the movement becomes even more difficult and painful.

So one of my current challenges is learning to move without unnecessary tension.

The therapists first work on making the stiff areas softer.

Then they gradually introduce exercises.

I am beginning to understand that rehabilitation is not simply about exercising harder.

It is about helping the body move naturally again.

Another surprising thing about this hospital is the hot spring.

Dogo Onsen Hospital is called Dogo Onsen Hospital for a reason.

There is a hot spring here.

I was told that I could use the hot spring from Monday through Saturday.

I was honestly surprised.

I thought:

What? I can go into the Dogo hot spring six days a week?

For a moment I wondered what I had actually come here to do.

Maybe the hot spring is also part of my rehabilitation.

At first, a nurse accompanied me and checked that I could bathe safely and follow the rules.

After I passed the check, I was allowed to go by myself.

On Sundays, I cannot use the hot spring, but I can use another regular bath with a shower.

So I can bathe every day of the week.

Six days in the hot spring and one day in the regular bath.

That feels incredibly luxurious.

But, of course, I am here mainly for rehabilitation.

And the entire hospital is designed around rehabilitation.

There are wide corridors where wheelchairs and beds can pass easily.

Many patients walk in the corridors as part of their rehabilitation.

At first, I wondered what all these people were doing.

Then I realized that walking itself was their rehabilitation.

Some people are working on their legs or hips. Some use canes, while others use walkers.

There are walking courses in the ward, including one of about 48 meters and another larger course of about 77 meters.

Each patient has their own goals and walks according to their ability.

The hospital itself has been designed so that everyday activities can become part of rehabilitation.

I had never known that a place like this existed.

I have been hospitalized several times and have had surgery before.

But until I was 68, I did not know that there were hospitals specifically designed for rehabilitation.

There are people here recovering from surgery and working very hard despite pain.

There are also many professionals supporting them: physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, care staff, and many others.

I have entered a world that I did not know existed.

Rehabilitation is also provided on weekends.

When my usual therapist is off, another therapist takes over, but the basic rehabilitation plan is shared among the staff.

For me, the daily schedule is quite structured.

I wake up around 6:30.

I have breakfast in the morning, rehabilitation, lunch at noon, another rehabilitation session in the afternoon, and my bath.

Dinner is at 6:00 in the evening, and lights-out is at 9:00.

I am also studying for the registered sales clerk examination, so I spend quite a lot of time using my iPhone and iPad.

When my shoulders become stiff, I walk in the corridor and move my shoulders while walking.

However, once I overdid it and had much more pain that night.

The therapist told me that doing too much is not good either.

So I am learning that balance is important.

I have only been here for six days.

The maximum hospital stay is 60 days.

I sometimes think that I would like to stay longer, but there are many other people waiting for rehabilitation, so I understand why I cannot stay indefinitely.

Still, I have only been here for six days.

There is a lot of time left.

If I have already experienced these changes in only six days, I wonder how much progress I might make by the time I leave.

I am curious.

I am also a little anxious.

I do not expect my left arm to return completely to the way it was before.

I will probably live with this titanium in my left arm for the rest of my life.

But I want to regain as much everyday function as possible.

I want to be able to live my life without too much difficulty.

Sometimes I really wonder:

Why did I come to Matsuyama?

But when I look at everything that has happened, I realize that this accident has introduced me to a world I never knew.

The fall was caused by my own carelessness.

It was painful.

It was frightening.

I was worried about what would happen next.

But I also experienced the kindness of many people.

People at Eden no Sono helped me.

Doctors and nurses helped me.

The rehabilitation therapists have helped me.

And now I have discovered a place called Dogo Onsen Hospital.

Today is my sixth day here.

The fresh sheets on my bed reminded me that almost a week has passed.

It has only been six days, but I feel that I have already changed.

At first, I was mostly thinking:

It hurts.
I am worried.
I am afraid.
What is going to happen to me?

Now I feel:

I am glad I came here.

I do not know what will happen from here.

I have both hope and anxiety.

But for the first time in a while, I also feel a little excited about the future.

At 68, I am discovering that there are still so many things in life that I do not know.

And now, with a titanium-supported left arm, I am learning how to use my body again.

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