Supporting Self-Reliance

Shanghai Jinmei Care for the Elderly established Memory Homes to support the city's growing elderly population. It is a community-based space where social workers provide those with dementia and their families with professional support. These homes also provide educational programs, preventive activities, cognitive function assessments, and support for caregivers.

Takarazuka City, Japan, has initiated the "Healthy and Purposeful Employment Trial," matching retirees with nursing care facilities. This program matches healthy older people who want to work with nursing care and daycare centers, which are suffering from personnel shortages.

Hatachi Industry has worked in close collaboration with Thai partners to transfer their know-how for a preventative care system that can meet the needs of older Thai people. The program has been particularly effective at identifying and supporting frail older people who may soon require nursing care.

The Taiseikai Group, a medical corporation in Japan, has been committed since 2002 to protecting the dignity and health of people with dementia through “Taisekei Style” care—using zero physical restraints in their facilities and instead combining care content and supportive methods to alleviate behavioral disorders associated with dementia.

Komagane City, Japan, collaborates with Showa Inan General Hospital to prevent stroke recurrence in older patients. This year-long program starts at hospitalization and includes patient education, self-monitoring, and consultations. By focusing on mild stroke patients, recurrence rates dropped from 8% to 4.8%.

Vietnam's aging population faces vision loss, impacting their independence. The Vietnam Association of the Elderly launched "Bright Eyes for Older People" in 2012, providing free vision care to millions. This data-driven campaign, backed by partnerships, raised over $22.3 million.

The KB Good Memory School is a research-based dementia prevention program offered at nearly 100 senior welfare centers across Korea. The program also enhances public awareness about dementia prevention.

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.

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.