Japan’s silver-haired care is imminent. Two sides of the scale: technology and foreigners
Source: DIGITIMES Electronic Times / Mark Tsai 2020/05/11
Original text: https://www.digitimes.com.tw
In 2019, Japan's elderly population aged 65 and above was approximately 35.88 million, an increase of 320,000 from 2018, which also brought the elderly population to 28.4% of the total population, not only a record high, but also the highest in the world. In addition, there are 11.25 million people over the age of 80 and 2.31 million people over the age of 90, almost catching up with Taiwan's population over the age of 65, which is about 3.52 million. In such an aging society, there are now many measurement tools that can assist with health activities and behavioral assistance for the elderly.
DIGITIMES Electronic Times Smart Medical YouTube : ForeAider Smart Mattress Sensor Mat for Elderly
Through the data collection of smart mattresses, senior caregivers can quickly understand the physical condition of the elderly on the screen and in the mobile version of the app.
Picture reprinted to/Mark Tsai DIGITIMES Electronic Times 2020/05/08
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Elders who are more familiar with technology applications can use smart watches, bracelets and mobile apps to not only receive the latest news notifications from alarm pads for elderly, but also to receive instant messages of concern from doctors and family members, as well as messages from peers. The health information status of the elderly and such community care applications also make the elderly more willing to wear technological wearable devices.
In addition, Furen Technology founder Luo Yilin shared that whether they are sub-healthy or elderly people whose physical condition is gradually declining, medical IoT tools that can provide ambient temperature, humidity, and air quality measurements, or can allow the elderly to The sensor notification function allows smoother communication with caregivers and can meet the health promotion needs of the elderly.
It is hoped that by inserting, calibrating, capturing the signal with a mobile phone, and a quick installation process of 30 seconds, an ordinary bed can be turned into a smart sensing bed. Luo Yilin said that with the collection of data, a large amount of data can be used to analyze the user's sleeping habits in the future, thereby providing doctors, personal trainers, and caregivers with a better understanding of the user's health status. In addition to physiological values and tap call functions, the team is also planning to develop abnormal sound analysis technology during sleep, and is also working with long-term care experts on trial and error and fine-tuning.
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From the observation of the Japanese market, the comfort of the environment and residence is very important. In addition to the introduction of heartbeat, breathing, body movement, and turning measurements, which are more important in nursing institutions, without damaging the decorations and room layout of the elderly's homes, Using technological sensor mat for elderly to improve the convenience, comfort, safety, and health of life are now market demands.
It is understood that a caregiver in Okinawa, Japan, has to take care of 50 to 60 beds on average. Therefore, Japan is now actively evaluating multiple options such as technological elderly care and opening up foreign assistance. In addition, as time goes by, the staff of many maintenance centers are getting older, which has also increased the demand for technology introduction. The maturity of technology and market demand are cleverly and smoothly connected as the staff get older.
The physical health and mental health of the elderly are equally important. Weighing has become a daily challenge for organizations.
Elderly people who need care need to pay more attention to turning over in addition to their emotions, so as to reduce the occurrence of bedsores. This should also be combined with sarcopenia measurement. Among so many detailed tasks, Luo Yilin shared that technology manufacturers can help maintain the physical fitness and prevention of occupational injuries of nurses. For example, to help the elderly in institutions weigh themselves at a fixed time, nursing may be needed It takes a whole day, especially when the whole body is weak and limp, it is actually very difficult to carry.
Therefore, some institutions use large machinery and straps to move the caregiver to the wheelchair and secure it. It takes about 10 minutes or more to secure the caregiver in the wheelchair, and then push the caregiver to a dedicated machine to measure the weight. After the weight is measured, the caregiver is pushed to the wheelchair. After returning to the bed, it takes more than 10 minutes to move back to the bed. Just imagine how much time and physical effort it takes for a nurse or attendant to take care of 10 to 50 beds. Because of the demands of such a field, Luo Yilin and his team are also thinking about whether there is an opportunity to energy and weight without leaving the bed. It then helps institutions and families to immediately identify certain health abnormalities, such as a 5% weight loss in 3 months or a 10% weight loss in 6 months.