Monthly Archives: June 2014

Japan’s integrated total care vision for an ageing population

With its older population rising to one in three by 2025, Japan’s healthcare has changed radically and sets the right example for the UK, Mayumi Hayashi says in the second article in this HSJ series

The “2025 vision” is the Japanese government’s ambitious aspiration for the delivery of healthcare and social care for its ageing population through the establishment of a localised, comprehensive “total” care provision. This envisages the inclusion and integration of healthcare, long term support, preventative initiatives, housing and supported living programmes, together with other welfare services such as safeguarding, outreach and dementia care.

Technology could help people with dementia remain in their homes

Voting for dementia in the Longitude Prize could help revolutionise care
As well as the trumpet-playing kind, Toyota are experimenting with assistive robots.

Dementia affects an increasing number of people: in 2012, 800,000 people in the UK had a form of dementia. The cost to the British economy, estimated at £23bn a year by the Alzheimer’s Society, is now greater than cancer, strokes and heart disease combined. Finding a solution that can both alleviate the pressures on society and allow people with dementia to live with dignity is crucial; this is why it should win the public vote to decide the focus of the Longitude prize 2014.

Empowering community nurses to support family carers in the community

“Small changes can be enormously meaningful to the life of a carer,” said Ben Bowers, Queen’s Nursing Community Cancer Nurse Specialist.

With the support of The Queen’s Nursing Institute, the RCN District Nursing Forum hosted this event to update delegates about best practice, and the tools available to enable community nurses to support carers more effectively. This includes the Carers Project – the foundation of which is a free online resource with seven modules including supporting carers, assessment of carers and end of life care.