J-Sei Home closes after 30 years, leaving Bay Area Japanese seniors in need

J-Sei Home closes after 30 years, leaving Bay Area Japanese seniors in need 
KQED, San Francisco, CA; by Cecilia Lei; 3/10/25 
... For decades, Bay Area Japanese American families have sought culturally sensitive senior care facilities like J-Sei Home for aging loved ones. Community members said that about a decade ago, there were approximately 10 Japanese senior care homes in the region. Today, that number has declined by about half. The most recent closure came in January, when the last residents of J-Sei Home moved out, and the facility permanently closed its doors after 30 years of operation. A majority of the displaced residents were Japanese Americans in their 90s and had cognitive impairment. ... They had tender caregivers who spoke Japanese. They ate familiar comfort foods like miso soup and pickled vegetables, and they participated in daily activities such as drum circles and singing Japanese songs. ...
Editor's note: Click here for part one of this two-part article, which was published by KQED on 3/9/25. Click on the title's link for this article, part two. Click here for part two, the article summarized above.