To commemorate the UN International Day of Older Persons this year, we are pleased to announce that 15 new case studies are now available that highlight innovations from Japan focused on supporting the health and wellbeing of older adults.
Check out the list below to learn more about these innovations, which were all recognized by the Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation (HAPI) as Japanese best practices and are now part of our searchable database of innovations from across ASEAN and East Asia.
You can also learn more from our latest report, Innovation for an Aging Asia, which features additional case studies from across the region.
Mobility Support Using Electric Carts to Improve the Health and Wellbeing of the Older People in the Community
Research institutes at Chiba University and Nihon Fukushi University worked with Yamaha Motor Co. and several local governments to address the issue of mobility by introducing electric carts that can be used on public roads in the community, along with an operational model that is easy for older people to use and easy for governments to implement.
Project to Prevent Frailty, Locomotive Syndrome, and Dementia
Launched in 2017 as an industry-government-academia project between Kaizuka City Welfare Department, the Osaka Kawasaki Rehabilitation University, and Fuji Oil, this initiative offers activities that contribute to the extension of healthy life expectancy among residents of Kaizuka City, focusing on health checks, exercise classes, and volunteer training projects.
0084 Community Health Project—Using a Local Company’s Know-How to Promote a Healthier Community
Ohashi Transport Co. used know-how gained through its in-house health management programs to promote health for their broader community as well, working with the local government to implement a multi-pronged program focused on health education and exercise.
Pattern Language for “Mutual Care”—A Thinking Aid for Those Caring for Older People
Keio University researchers developed a "thinking aid" for caregivers at eldercare facilities and at home to share better care practices. They developed a pattern language—a concept derived from architectural theory—focused on the concept of mutual care and on creating relationships of "living together" rather than relationships between "those who provide care and those who are cared for."
MCS Care—A Science-Based Approach to Promote Self-Reliance
MCS operates group homes and nursing homes in Japan and China. To improve residents' quality of life, MCS established an evidence-based system that focuses on a secondary cause of dementia, the deterioration of physical activity. The system consists of medically based adjustments to areas such as hydration, nutrition, exercise, oral function, posture, mobility, and medication.
Kaigo Café—Japan’s Largest Informal Care Professional Network
Kaigo Café is a professional, multidisciplinary, offline and online network that has been carrying out grassroots activities throughout Japan since 2012. Their gatherings allow participants from all aspects of the medical and nursing care industry—regardless of their credentials or status—to talk freely and empower one another to continuously improve elder care.
Connecting Education and Welfare through TANO
TANO is a non-contact gamification system that promotes movement and social engagement for health promotion and rehabilitation for older people. It is being used in care facilities in Japan and overseas. The initiative seeks to connect education and welfare, promote society-wide cooperation through industry-government-academia partnerships, and create an environment where young students can develop an awareness of social issues.
NCGG Home Exercise Program for Older People
In response to COVID, a multidisciplinary team of physicians, therapists, and dieticians created an evidence-based Home Exercise Program for Older People (HEPOP), which was published one month later as a booklet and online, offering a menu of exercises and activities that can be easily practiced at home. It was then integrated into the Ministry of Health's Online Kayoinoba (gathering place) app.
Using Data-Based Strategies to Extend Healthy Life Expectancy
The town of Mifune launched a number of initiatives to promote preventive care and community building for its older residents. They realized they needed objective data to identify and strategically address the health problems of the community. Through this data-driven approach, they identified social isolation and the challenge of "shut-ins" as major issues for their community and developed a number of targeted interventions.
Citizen-Based Frailty Prevention Program
Based on research findings, the Institute for Future Initiatives at the University of Tokyo developed a new training system that enables local older people to become resident volunteers, or “frailty supporters.” They developed a peer-to-peer model for “frailty check” activities where older people gather together and carry out a comprehensive assessment to notice changes and modify their behavior together. The model has now spread nationwide.
Older People Take the Lead! Passing on the Vitality of the Region
In the rural, rapidly aging Hedate Ward area of Minamiboso City, the Hedate Tea Room was established to coordinate and promote cooperation among various local organizations. This group, led from the bottom up and relying primarily on volunteers, has revitalized activities in the community, holding intergenerational events that pass on the stories and traditions of the region and give a sense of purpose to the older residents.
ITO EN Torori Green Tea—Delicious and Easy-to-Drink, Thickened Tea
ITO EN, one of Japan's leading tea manufacturers, developed ready-to-serve Torori Ryokucha (thick green tea) that requires no added work to thicken and will not clump. It is expected to save time and labor in nursing care settings or for home caregivers and make it possible for anyone to easily drink evenly thickened, delicious tea.
Assistive Wheelchair “COLORS”—Making It Easier to Go Out
COLORS is a private company that provides a variety of caregiving services for older adults, people with disabilities, and others. Recognizing the issues facing caregivers in managing traditional wheelchairs, they began to develop a new design for a wheelchair that would be easier to use, regardless of the terrain, while still being light in weight and simple to operate.
Creating A Place and Role for Older People with Dementia through Multigenerational Exchanges
Rehab Home Ippo began as a daycare service for older people, but later it added a small nursery school. That led to an important discovery: their older clients' faces lit up when they saw the children at the nursery. That realization triggered an innovative new approach to the company’s work, where they took an intergenerational approach in their services.
AI-Based Locomotive Syndrome Detection Device
Locomotive syndrome (LS) refers to reduced mobility due to impairment of the musculoskeletal system. Ayumo Inc., Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University Institute for Datability Science, and the National Hospital Organization Osaka-Minami Medical Center, collaborated to develop a gait analysis device that uses AI to assess LS quickly and simply by just having older people walk a few meters in front of a camera.