Memory Home
In China, although an estimated 10 million people are affected by dementia, awareness and understanding of the disease has lagged. Jinmei Care is working to change that by creating “Memory Homes”—community-based physical spaces where social workers provide those with dementia and their families with professional support. They also promote greater public understanding and help destigmatize dementia through the creation of a Memory Café and a volunteer network of “Dementia-Friends.”
QR Code Jell Nail Stickers for People with Dementia
Each year, thousands of people living with dementia wander off, becoming disoriented and unable to find their way home. Japanese authorities received more than 17,000 such missing person reports in 2020. To solve this problem, ORANGE LINKS created a small, waterproof sticker that is affixed to a fingernail and includes a personalized QR code.
Longzhen One-Stop Community Elderly Service Program
Longzhen Senior Care, operator of a community-based eldercare center, realized that many of the area’s oldest old were aging at home and were cut off from various services available in the community. In response, they developed a free one-stop community elderly service program. They assess each person’s needs and provide liaisons (combining social workers and volunteers) to arrange for everything from adult daycare and home medical services to handymen, emergency alert response, home-delivered meals, legal assistance, shopping assistance, and other services.
Manoottangwai Intergenerational Online Media Campaign
To address Thailand’s increasing intergenerational friction, a TV production company, Boonmerit, launched an online media platform called “Manoottangwai” (multigenerational). The initiative targets older people to create a positive mindset and help them achieve an active lifestyle, and it targets younger people to help them understand that post-retirement wellbeing (financial, physical, and emotional) requires preparation.
“Dementia Eyes”—Experiencing Dementia through AR
Dementia Eyes uses an augmented reality (AR) filter to reproduce the visual difficulties experienced by people with dementia, such as poor depth perception. Unlike VR, which creates a virtual space, AR lets users experience the effects in their real surroundings.
Healthy and Purposeful Employment Trial
This local government matches healthy older people who want to work with nursing care and daycare centers, which are suffering from personnel shortages. Participants handle light tasks for a 3-month trial period and can continue to work if they so choose. The trial period lowers the hurdle to participation and the work gives participants a sense of being needed by society.
Winners of the 2022 Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation (HAPI)
Learn about the winners of the 2021 Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation.
VR Dementia
Using virtual reality (VR) technology and a trained facilitator, this program allows caregivers, nurses, family members, and the general public to experience the symptoms of dementia from a first-hand perspective, experiencing the emotions brought about due to the symptoms and the interactions with the people nearby.
Odekake Rehabilitation Initiative to Promote Outings for Older People and Commercial Revitalization
Odekake (Outing) Rehabilitation is an original healthcare project mainly targeting older persons or those who require care and support. It combines the concept of “shopping, dining, and recreation” together with “activity, sports, and interaction” to create a comprehensive form of rehabilitation while also contributing to the local economy.