Accelerating Responses to Challenges through Innovation—A Multistakeholder Approach to Healthy and Active Aging
A report is available for the AHWIN side event held during the UNESCAP/UNFPA Midterm Review of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development. This event featured presentations on innovations and community-based approaches from Japan and Thailand.
Update on AHWIN-Supported Research Projects
Information on two research projects recently added to the AHWIN site; “Outcomes of Long-Term Care Insurance Services in Japan: Evidence from National Long-Term Care Insurance Claim Data,” and “Preparation for an Aging Society in Thailand”
Health and Long-Term Care Information in Ageing Asia
Building on an earlier study on “The Demand and Supply of Long-Term Care for Older Persons in Asia,” this project will survey sources of information on health and long-term care, including censuses, vital statistics, household surveys, and statistics based on administrative records. The findings will be used to clarify health needs and the state of long-term care in the region.
An Eldercare Facility that Helps Seniors Resume Independent Living
With the aging of Japanese society, the number of seniors who require constant caregiving has grown, as has the number of publicly operated long-term care facilities. One such facility is helping seniors lead an independent life by providing a variety of support services that allows the elderly to age in place.
Improving the Health of Caregivers and Seniors by Promoting Safer Transfer Techniques
In order to relieve physical stress on caregivers, the No Lifting Association (NLA) has worked with Professor Hajime Asama to develop and popularize a system of “no-lift care,” which allows caregivers to care for the elderly without relying solely on the caregiver’s physical strength.
Innovative ICT Device Helps Seniors Control Bladder Function
As people grow older, they experience many changes both mentally and physically, including bladder control issues. To address health problems associated with incontinence, a company called Triple W Japan K.K. has developed DFree, a wearable device that anticipates when the user will need to use the toilet.
A Community-Based Approach Combining Physical and Mental Exercise to Prevent Dementia
The number of people with dementia in Japan is rapidly increasing as the country’s senior population grows. In 2012, Japan’s National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology (NCGG) began developing and testing a program called “cognicise,” which combines physical and mental exercise, to prevent the decline of cognitive functions.
Using ICT for Early Detection of Health Abnormalities
AnshinNet is an ICT (Information and Communications Technology) tool that allows caregivers to quickly detect health irregularities in seniors. It is a health management system that focuses on the vital statistics that caregivers monitor daily, helping them find any shifts at an early stage.
Preparation for an Aging Society in Thailand
To address Thailand’s rapid aging, the Center of Excellence for Ageing Business and Care Development at Thammasat University will undertake a broad research program to examine the history of Thai policies on population aging, develop policy recommendations on the elderly in the informal sector, analyze consumption behavior among the elderly to improve their financial choices, and examine trends in the aging-related market and innovations that will allow older citizens to enjoy healthy aging and contribute to the economy longer.
Sessions on Long-Term Care Policies, Systems, Practices, and Workforce Sustainability at the 2018 World Social Science Forum
Under the auspices of AHWIN, the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) partnered with Nihon University (NU) to organize two sessions at the 4th World Social Science Forum (WSSF) 2018 in Fukuoka, Japan. Panelists discussed the policy response in their respective countries to increasing long-term care needs in light of an aging population, institutional structures of care service provision systems, and policy considerations in the use of family-public-market resources.