Japan's Tech Innovations Address Growing Dementia Crisis

Japan is facing a dementia crisis, with over 18,000 older people living with dementia going missing last year, according to the BBC. Almost 500 were later found dead, and police report that such cases have doubled since 2012.

The elderly population aged 65 and over now makes up nearly 30 percent of Japan's population, the second highest proportion in the world after Monaco. The government has identified dementia as one of its most urgent policy challenges, estimating that dementia-related health and social care costs will reach 14 trillion yen, or 90 billion dollars, by 2030.

To address this issue, Japan is increasingly turning to technology. Regions are adopting GPS-based systems to track missing individuals, with some areas using wearable GPS tags that alert authorities when a person leaves a designated area.

In some towns, convenience-store workers receive real-time notifications, creating a community safety net to locate missing persons within hours. Additionally, Fujitsu's aiGait uses AI to analyze posture and walking patterns to detect early signs of dementia.

Researchers at Waseda University are developing AIREC, a 150-kilogram humanoid robot designed to assist with caregiving tasks such as putting on socks and folding laundry. While humanoid robots are still in development, some robots are already being utilized in care homes to play music, guide residents in stretching exercises, and monitor patients at night.

Emotional support is also a focus, with robots like Poketomo providing reminders for medication and companionship. Experts emphasize that robots should supplement, not substitute, human caregivers. The need for social interventions remains essential, as illustrated by the Restaurant of Mistaken Orders in Sengawa, Tokyo, where patients with dementia work to stay engaged and purposeful.

The café aims to provide both community support and respite for families, highlighting the importance of human connection alongside technological solutions.