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Japan’s Ageing Population

Japan Addresses Its Ageing Population

Japan’s population is the oldest on earth, with 25% of its population over 65. Over the next decade, the population of over 75 years old in greater Tokyo will grow by 1.75 million.

What does nation do when 25% of its population is age 65 and over? Japan has two approaches.

First, it becomes a test bed of innovation.

IBM, Apple and Japan Post Group joined together to equip Japan’s older adults with iPads enabling to help them communication with family and friends, monitor their health and buy goods and services. A vast Japanese geek squad will set up the iPads and train older people on their use.

While only a pilot at this stage, the potential to improve lives through connections and engagement—if successful—is vast.

Japan is also considering a proposal aimed at repopulating rural areas by encouraging older people in Tokyo to move to the countryside. The idea is to improve rural economies while addressing the over-crowding of elderly services in Tokyo.  Japan has identified 41 regional areas that could take the pressure off of Tokyo. This prospect is still at the proposal stage with much debate to come.

Aad Koster Elected President of EAHSA 

The Executive Board of the European Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing (EAHSA) has elected Mr. Aad Koster as its new President. Aad Koster is CEO of ActiZ, the Dutch association for residential and home care organizations and infant and child health clinics. Aad Koster: “My goal with EAHSA is to unite more and more providers for the ageing sector in Europe…we have to learn from each other, to cooperate with other stakeholders and we have to advocate for good conditions for providers to their important work.”

EAHSA is the European chapter of IAHSA.  EAHSA members represent more than 3,000 providers spread in 20 European countries.

Click here for the full press release.

EU Funds a Research Project to Study How Social Inequalities Influence Healthy Ageing

EU Funds a Research Project to Study How Social Inequalities Influence Healthy Ageing

The EU’s Horizon 2020 programme has awarded the Lifepath project a 6 million euro grant to study the link between socioeconomic status and healthy ageing. The project will be conducted by 15 institutions across Europe, the US, and Australia.

The four-year research programme will investigate links between socioeconomic factors, such as education, income and achievements, and age-related health outcomes, such as cancer, heart disease, cognitive impairments and frailty. It will also use molecular techniques to analyse blood samples from existing population studies to uncover biological changes associated with poverty.

The research consortium’s ultimate goal is to provide answers that could reduce the impact of poverty on health.

Click here to learn more about this interesting project.

Explore Research on Dementia, Workforce, Wellness and Housing

by Taryn Patterson

Canadian providers of aging services are taking a page out of the American football playbook by offering direct care workers an opportunity to “huddle” when they need help managing the dementia-related behaviors of residents in long-term care settings.

Recent research published in the Canadian Journal on Aging suggests that these “mental health huddles” can help staff members optimize resident care. Researchers found that huddles give direct care workers a timely way to discuss and generate solutions to mental health-related concerns while also improving staff collaboration, teamwork, support and communication.

The Canadian research is only one of many studies featured in a new Global Ageing Research Clearinghouse. The International Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing (IAHSA) created the clearinghouse to promote the adoption and testing of different models and interventions in aging services organizations.

The clearinghouse will provide a forum for researchers and providers to share research and exchange feedback. IAHSA is hopeful that it will eventually ensure that future research becomes informed by the needs of the global provider community.

The LeadingAge Center for Applied Research is helping IAHSA continually expand the evidence-based resources available through the clearinghouse.

About the Global Ageing Research Clearinghouse

IAHSA’s Global Ageing Research Clearinghouse serves as a repository of applied research projects from around the world and offers a unique opportunity for both researchers and providers of aging services.

Researchers can use the clearinghouse to disseminate key research findings that could shape practice.

Providers can use the clearinghouse to find new ideas and strategies for addressing common challenges in their organizations.
Each clearinghouse posting provides an abstract of a research project and a link to a more comprehensive summary of that research.

Summaries present research findings in a concise and easy-to-read format and include:

  • Insights into the strengths and limitations of the intervention, model or program.
  • Lessons learned during implementation.
  • The project’s international applicability.
  • Factors that providers should consider when applying the research to care settings.
  • Contact information for researchers who conducted the study.
  • Types of Research in the Clearinghouse

The clearinghouse contains 2 types of resources:

Efficacy and effectiveness studies that show how a device, program, service or intervention is being implemented in aging services settings.

Practice-based research that has produced systematic reviews and guidelines that providers of long-term services and supports can apply to their organizations.

Currently, the clearinghouse presents research in 4 topic areas:

  • Workforce
  • Housing with Services
  • Dementia
  • Wellness

New categories–including disaster and emergency preparedness, cultural sensitivity, design, technology, and end-of-life/palliative care–will be added in the near future.

Submitting Research to the Clearinghouse

Submit research to the Global Ageing Research Clearinghouse by sending an email to Taryn Patterson at the Center for Applied Research. Research projects will be included in the clearinghouse if:

  • The device or intervention has demonstrated efficacy and effectiveness within senior housing or has been tested/developed with a sample of older adults.
  • Essential components of the research are clearly defined.
  • Opportunities exist to change or adapt the intervention so that it works better in a given setting.
  • The intervention pertains to one of the clearinghouse’s topic areas.
  • The research could potentially translate cross-culturally and trans-nationally. The success of the concept should not dependent on state or national-level policy, government structure or cultural practices.
  • Those submitting a clearinghouse posting are encouraged to include trainer and program manuals, an analysis of costs, and a list of needed resources, if they are available.

Next Steps

IAHSA is currently working to build awareness about the clearinghouse through its global networks and partners. Future plans call for launching an online submission portal for researchers, and developing an Interactive Online Forum to stimulate researcher-provider dialogue.

Visit the Clearinghouse

Active Ageing Index Shows Winners and Losers

Active Ageing Index Shows Winners and Losers

The E.U.’s latest Active Ageing Index shows that the affluent Nordic and Western European countries top the ranking with Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and the U.K. at the top. The scores indicate that in these four countries, ageing is a coherent policy area that leaves nobody behind. Greece and many Central and Eastern European countries come in last.

The goal of active ageing strategies is to facilitate an environment that is rich in opportunities. The index is comprised of 22 individual indicators grouped around employment, social participation, independent, healthy and secure living and enabling environment. Countries higher on the index tend to have policies that sustain employment levels among older workers and provide income security to retirees. Ireland and Italy stand out in the social participation domain, attributed to family cultures. For most countries, a significant gender gap exists, with women falling behind, driven largely by employment and income gaps.

An analysis of the relationship between the Active Ageing Index and GDP per capita suggests that active ageing can be good for the economy.

Read the full report here.

HelpAge International to Join IAHSA in Perth

HelpAge Plenary speaker Meredith Wyse has been working with HelpAge International for over ten years and is currently Strategic Development Manager for the East Asia Region based in Thailand. Her focus is on community development and home and community based care in the region. She has developed training programmes for regional governments as they develop comprehensive policies and programmes on care. Meredith Wyse will speak about the evolution of aged care in less developed countries and what we can learn from their experiences.

HelpAge International, a long-standing partner of IAHSA, has been leading the efforts to help elders in Nepal in the wake of the recent earthquakes. It had humanitarian workers and supplies on the ground within hours and have worked tirelessly since. HelpAge’s presence has ensured that older people are not overlooked in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Visit the IAHSA-ACSA Global Ageing Conference website to learn more about our extraordinary line-up of speakers and events!

Slovenian Youth leader, Author and Entrepreneur to Speak in Perth

Slovenian youth leader, author and entrepreneur, Ziga Vavpoti, will be a featured speaker at the ACSA/IAHSA Global Ageing Conference in Perth Australia. Ziga is a strong proponent of cooperation and connecting organizations and people. At age 31, Vavpoti is the chair of the largest NGO for youth in Slovenia, the Ypsilon Institute. He writes and talks about the connections between youth, society, philanthropy and responsibility in the context of his broader interest in social entrepreneurship. This has led Ziga to develop a widely successful intergenerational program, connecting young and old through technology training and support. Ziga writes “It is time to start believing in our dreams and turning them into reality. Smiles of older people in the biggest Slovenian intergenerational project called Simbioz, is a tiny success that I accept it with high gratitude.”

Ziga Vavpoti has received numerous awards including UNESCO Youth Ambassador and serves on the Microsoft Office Information Worker Board of the Future. He remarks that he is learning from the world’s best such as Dr. Edward de Bono and Danah Zohar and notes that “we are mesmerized by the books we read and the people we meet.”

Click here to learn more about the Global Ageing Conference in Perth Australia.

Image Credit: Photo taken from http://www.rtvslo.si/

Bangladesh NGO Focuses on Good Quality of Life Through Care and Love

Care First Foundation (CFF) has recently joined IAHSA and hopes to expand their efforts in addressing the widespread unmet needs of elders in Bangladesh. Those age 60 and over are 7% of the population in Bangladesh and have a life expectancy of 69.  Due to extreme poverty in the country, the elderly tend to suffer from malnutrition, disease and negligence. As the foundation’s Executive Director Eng. Ejaz Pervez Hossain wrote, “we observe that families are not serious about their elders because they do not consider elderly as having potential to help the family….It is an absolute human catastrophe.”

CFF operates in two communities and last year was able to serve 70 elders. They provided risk monitoring, referrals, counseling, medicine and medical support, home care and activities. Their goal is to expand their services to reduce elderly suffering through community supports and services.

HelpAge International shared the perspective of an older woman in Bangladesh in their publication, “Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: A Celebration and A Challenge“,“Particularly older mothers and mothers-in-law are in a terrible situation…They are getting less food compared to other family members, experience physical torture and never get medicines or medical care when they are sick.”

As CFF noted, “to meet our goal we need strong partnerships and collaborative support. Considering the demand, our voluntary support is just a drop of water.”

To learn more about Care First Foundation’s efforts in Bangladesh, click here.

Older People Speak Out about Discrimination and Human Rights

Over 2000 older persons from around the world have shared their views about how older people are being discriminated against and the impact it has had on their lives. The vast majority have said they were treated differently and discriminated against simply because of their older age. For some, being treated differently was sometimes positive. Others describe being ignored, avoided, dismissed and treated with suspicion. “People love us because we are old but think we are incapable of doing things,” remarked an older individual from Mauritius.

Among the most stark and pervasive findings was the feeling of exclusion: from social activities, financial services, political processes, economic life, development activities and leadership positions. As one older man in Korea said, “I easily withdraw from society and I feel shabby.”  The result is that they are denied access to basic services. Even worse, some reported having been subject to abuse and exploitation.

The report, “In Our Own Words”, was put together by the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People (GAROP), of which IAHSA is a member. GAROP is a network of 115 organizations from around the world who have come together to strengthen and promote the rights of older people. As the prospect of a new convention on the rights of older people is debated, the voices of older people need to be heard.

Their responses clearly suggest that a comprehensive and systematic approach to better protection and promotion of older persons’ rights is required. The principles that should guide this approach include: non-discrimination, respect, dignity, autonomy, equality, self-fulfillment, full and effective participation, social inclusion, inter-generational solidarity and recognition of the intrinsic value and worth as a human being.

The full report can be downloaded here.

Options for Seniors in Ontario Canada

Senior Housing options in Canada are as complex as they are in most developed countries—there are a range of labels, funding and services, according to Vanessa O. Rorai, MSW student at Wayne State University and an intern at the Thome Rivertown Neighborhood in Detroit, MI. Vanessa recently conducted a review of senior housing options in Ontario.

Adult Lifestyle Communities are senior apartments and are found through real estate agents. Non-profit housing is referred to as “rent-geared-to-income” (RGI) with income eligibility requirements and ten year waiting lists. This is strictly housing, with no services or programs.

Ontario also has housing co-ops. The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada formed an Aging in Place Committee in 2010. As a result they are increasingly aware of older members’ needs and have developed planning tools to support aging co-op members.

Retirement Homes are private businesses and vary considerably in services and amenities offered. Supportive housing provides minimal to moderate levels of care while long-term care homes provide 24 hour nursing and personal care. The latter are funded and regulated at the provincial government level.

The gatekeeper for consumers is the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), a government-funded organization that connects individuals to care services based on their needs. CCAC performs an essential service: assessments eligibility determinations and availability.

To learn more about senior housing options in Canada, download the full report: Senior Housing Options in Canada