Japan's Technology Leads the Way in Caring for Older Adults

New technologies are driving Japan's public and private sectors to improve care for seniors, with a digital care system a core component. Key to this effort is a new rule, allowing the public and private sectors to employ anonymously processed medical data. At Kyoto University Hospital, nurses pass patient data to servers for processing, Euronews reports, to facilitate more accurate and efficient healthcare. Kyoto University Hospital CIO Tomohiro Kuroda said, "Through this system, the private sector can use the data in order to create new drugs and treatments." Digital care innovation also supports new business opportunities for private medical firms developing solutions to accommodate Japan's elderly. Examples include an autonomous artificial intelligence-powered wheelchair, and a virtual reality headset that simulates the experience of dementia, to train caregivers to better understand and treat patients suffering from the malady.