Switzerland study tour: palliative care and aged care
Lausanne, Vevey, Zurich, Switzerland · September 27 - October 2, 2026
From 27 September to 2 October 2026, a Japanese delegation of 26 delegates, brought together by Travel Partners, carried out a six-day study tour in Switzerland, organised with Dialog Health, on palliative care and aged care: CHUV, Rive-Neuve, nursing homes in Vaud and care homes in Zurich.
From 27 September to 2 October 2026, 26 Japanese delegates brought together by Travel Partners carried out a six-day study tour in Switzerland, organised with Dialog Health. Japanese aged care professionals, they came to observe how Switzerland organises palliative care and support in later life, in hospital and in residential settings, in the canton of Vaud and Zurich. Japan and Switzerland have some of the world’s oldest populations and share questions about quality of life at the end of life.
Palliative care, from university hospital to dedicated house
In Lausanne, the delegation was received by the Palliative and Supportive Care Service of Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), which presented how palliative care is organised in a university hospital, followed by a visit. The Rive-Neuve palliative care house then offered a view of a dedicated facility designed as a place of life for patients at the end of life and their families.
Vaud: a graduated range of services
Fondation Primeroche combines residential care with day services. In Vevey, Fondation Beau-Séjour brings together residential care, day care, home care and assisted housing; the delegation was welcomed there alongside the municipality and discovered an interdisciplinary organisation built around the older person.
Zurich: small-scale care homes
In German-speaking Switzerland, the delegation visited Riedhof, a residential care home; Almacasa Zürich Friesenberg, which offers everyday-life-oriented living in small groups, open to people living with dementia; and Pflegeheim Salem, a care home run by the not-for-profit Diakoniewerk Salem.
What the delegation takes away
Visit by visit, delegates could compare with Japan the link between hospital palliative care and dedicated facilities, the gradation of services between home, day care and residential care, interdisciplinary teamwork, and the role of small living units for people with dementia.
The program
- CHUV — Palliative and Supportive Care Service (Lausanne). Presentation and visit of the service. Why visit: to understand how a university hospital organises palliative care and support for patients and families, for comparison with Japan.
- Rive-Neuve palliative care house. Visit to a facility specialising in end-of-life care. Delegates observed how a care setting is organised as a place of life and how families are welcomed, complementing the hospital perspective.
- Fondation Primeroche. Visit to a foundation combining residential care with day services. The visit showed how the two services complement each other for older people with differing needs.
- Fondation Beau-Séjour (Vevey). The delegation was welcomed alongside the municipality. The foundation brings together residential care, day care, home care and assisted housing within an interdisciplinary organisation. An example of a graduated, coordinated offer at town level.
- Riedhof (Zurich). Visit to a residential care home for older people, to observe how residential care is organised in German-speaking Switzerland.
- Almacasa Zürich Friesenberg. A neighbourhood care home organised in small groups around everyday life, open to people living with dementia, where families and volunteers take part in daily life. A small-scale model to compare with Japanese units.
- Pflegeheim Salem (Diakoniewerk Salem). Visit to a care home run by the not-for-profit Diakoniewerk Salem, supporting residents through to the end of life in a family-style setting. A look at integrating end-of-life care in residential settings.