Be it ever so graying, there's no place like home
On a recent bus trip in Indonesia, I struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to me who told me he was Malaysian but living in Australia, which prompted me to admit that I was American but living in Japan. This seemed ...
The critical importance of staying connected
Preparing for what has been touted as the "100-year life" is not a task for elderly people or the government alone.
Number of babies born in Japan in 2018 lowest since records began; population decline the highest
The figures reveal the difficulty of the government’s goal of raising the total fertility rate amid the population decline.
Japan's 5 million dementia patients hold ¥143 trillion — and both numbers are on the rise
Yumiko Okubo, 71, had forgotten how to heat up food. "What's a microwave?" she asked her husband, Eiichi. She was in the early stages of dementia, struggling with vocabulary and unable to teach the kimono-dressing classes she had run for 25 years. The difficulty with everyday tasks ...
Government panel paves way for Japan's working age limit to be raised to 70
In the course of preparing to bills on the age limit, the government will also consider promoting different working styles such as working shorter hours.
Short-staffed nursing home in Kagoshima Prefecture denies mismanagement after six residents die
A nursing home in Kagoshima Prefecture where six people died in just over a month has denied any mismanagement even though it staffs the facility with just one overnight caregiver for its 30 residents. The operator of Kaze no Mai, a care facility in the ...
Skydiving Welsh grandma brings the power of touch to people with disabilities in Japan
Since retiring 25 years ago, Dilys Price has founded a successful charity, been honored by Queen Elizabeth II, modeled for a top fashion line and set a world record for being the oldest female skydiver. Now, the 86-year-old grandmother’s great ambition is to show Japan ...
From 'cardboard nannies' to 'fruit money': fast-paced Hong Kong slow to adapt to its elderly
At the Tanner Hill apartments in Hong Kong, the residents — all aged 60-plus — are enjoying the ancient Chinese tile game of mahjong along with some bite-sized delicacies, dimsum, at one of the on-site restaurants. Each of the 588 units comes with wheelchair-height kitchen ...
In Japan, the growing number of dementia sufferers hold a vast pool of idle wealth
The country's growing ranks of dementia sufferers are sitting on a mountain of frozen assets, creating personal dilemmas for loved ones fretting over how to handle that money and a drag on the nation's economic prospects as the vast pool of wealth lays idle. The ...
Do the elderly and disabled people in Japan want robots to look after them?
What appears to be lacking are detailed surveys and studies, asking questions of the elderly and disabled people whose quality of life Japan's new legion of robots are supposed to improve.
Health care system could collapse if elderly people's contributions not doubled: insurance official
Japan's universal health care system could collapse unless the medical expense burden shouldered by elderly patients aged 75 or older is at least doubled, a senior official of a nationwide health insurance group has warned. Corporate health insurance unions are facing "quite serious" financial conditions ...
Golden oldies: A Saitama theater festival for elderly actors welcomes seniors from around the world
Renowned theater director Yukio Ninagawa broke new ground when he launched Saitama Gold Theater in 2006. Instead of seasoned actors, he filled his troupe with amateurs who were all older than 55. Now, nearly 100 groups of senior-citizen actors can be seen across the country, ...
