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.
“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.
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.
“Taiseikai-Style” Care to Improve Problematic Behaviors Associated with Dementia and Let People Live True to Themselves
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.
WheeLog!—An Accessibility Map Application Created by Everyone
A trip to an unfamiliar place for a wheelchair user or older person with limited mobility can be daunting. WheeLog!, an application for cellphones and computers, addresses these challenges by creating an interactive map that allows users to clearly see the accessibility of public spaces, sharing barrier-free-related information from all over Japan—and hopefully around the world in the near future.
The Matsudo Project: A New Urban Model for Reducing the Need for Long-Term Care in the Post COVID-19 Era
The Matsudo Consortium quickly adapted their long-term care prevention program to face the challenges posed by COVID-19. They developed an online version of their “Kayoinoba” social gatherings to provide older people with the opportunity to connect with each other and across generations and to become more confident in their ability to use tablet technology.
Preventing Stroke Recurrence through a Hospital–Local Government Partnership to Support Patient Self-Management
The city of Komagane has partnered with the Showa Inan General Hospital on an initiative to help mild stroke patients better manage their health to prevent recurrence. Skilled professionals start working with patients and their families during their hospitalization, engaging them in their own health goal setting and management and then consulting with them for the first year following their discharge.
The Housing Complex as One Big Family
Grundtvig has created a small, multi-functional care facility within an existing housing complex in Japan, allowing residents to age in place and encouraging cross-generational exchanges and community revitalization.