My Vision No.47
2020.4

Towards a Society in which Dementia
Sufferers can live their Lives as they wish
As the aging of Japan’s society advances, the number of dementia sufferers is increasing.
Is modern Japan making the necessary preparations to allow these people to continue living theirlives in the way that they wish? Urgent measures are required. In this issue of My Vision, we
discuss what will be necessary.

About this Issue
Towards a society in which dementia sufferers can live their lives as they wish
– What is the direction for a society that allows dignity to be maintained?
Yuri Okina

NIRA Executive Vice President / Chairperson of The Japan Research Institute, Limited
Keywords…Super-aged society, dementia, decline in sufferers’ quality of life, effect on society and theeconomy, creation of a society in which we are able to coexist with dementia sufferers via cooperation
across boundaries

Expert Opinions

Towards a Society in which Dementia Sufferers can live their Lives as they wish
What are the issues faced by dementia sufferers and the people around them?
What do we need to do to ensure that dementia sufferers are able to live with dignity?

Working towards the preventive treatment ofdementia

You are not alone

Takeshi Iwatsubo

Pereric Högberg

Professor, Department of Neuropathology,
Graduate School of Medicine, The University ofTokyo

Ambassador of Sweden to Japan

Keywords…Alzheimer’s disease, aging of thebrain, accumulation and elimination of amyloid-β
proteins, preventive treatment

Keywords…Natural part of life, speaking openly,
Dementia Forum X, change in social awareness,
involvement of social role models

Make finance and other social systems“Dementia-friendly”

Increasing the number of providers ofhigh-quality dementia care through
Humanitude and Remote Care Coaching

Kohei Komamura

Tomoaki Maekawa

Director, Institute for Economic Studies ResearchCenter for Financial Gerontology, Keio University

Director, AI Care Division, Care Tech Dept.
Exawizards Inc.
Keywords…“Templates” for high-quality care,
Humanitude, context of patient behavior,utilization of technology

Keywords…Elderly people with significant assets,mechanisms to support decision-making, “greyzone”, a society that respects the intentions of theindividual

A society that learns from people withdementia
Tadamichi Shimogawara
President, Silverwood Co., Ltd.
Keywords…Correct understanding of dementia,
social tolerance, troubled, unhappy, rational
consideration applied to the prevention of mistakes

Interview period：January – February 2020
Interviewer :Maiko Sakaki（NIRA Research Coordinator, Researcher）
Ayumi Kitajima（NIRA Research Coordinator, Researcher）

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.47
2020.4
About this Issue

Towards a Society in which Dementia
Sufferers can live their Lives as they wish
– What is the Direction for a Society that allows Dignity to be maintained?
Five years from now, in 2025, all of Japan’s baby boom
generation will be aged over 75, and Japan will become a“super-aged” society. It is predicted that there will be 7 million
dementia sufferers in Japan in 2025, and that following thisthe number will increase rapidly with the increase in thenumber of elderly citizens. If we do not consider as a society
how to best respond to this situation, not only might thequality of life of dementia sufferers decline, but the ability of
their family members to work may also be affected. In addition,
the increase in the number of dementia sufferers will have a
Yuri Okina
significant impact on Japan’s society and economy, presenting
NIRA Executive Vice President /Chairperson of The Japana range of issues including the maintenance of the system of
Research Institute, Limited
nursing care with shortages of staff, an increase in the numberof traffic accidents, and the necessity of responding to theimmobilization of financial assets. The question of how to coexist with a rapidly increasing numberof dementia sufferers will be an important one for the Japanese society of the future. In Japan,
the importance of creating a society in which we are able to live together with dementia sufferers,
through the efforts not merely of government ministries and agencies, local administrations andthe medical community, but through cooperation between industry, government and academia
across diverse fields, is recognized in growth strategies and the like, but concrete studies andpractical measures will be tasks for the future. In this issue of My Vision, we canvas opinions from
specialists in a range of fields who are working to address these issues regarding what they feel islacking in current responses to the care of dementia sufferers, and how we should go about creatinga society in which we are able to coexist with dementia sufferers.

Potential for the Development of Drugs to treat Cognitive DeclineFirst of all, how does the medical community understand dementia? The view that it will bedifficult to develop drugs to prevent or specifically target dementia is frequently expressed, but isthis view correct? Leading off this issue, Professor Takeshi Iwatsubo of The University of Tokyo,
who is noted for his research on dementia, informs us that Alzheimer’s-type dementia is causedby the buildup of certain types of protein in the brain due to its aging. While emphasizing thedifficulty of developing therapeutic drugs, Professor Iwatsubo also indicates the potential for thedevelopment of drugs to treat the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s in the near future.
There is also some hope that administration of these drugs at an early stage may have a preventive
effect. We must accept that dementia is a natural phenomenon associated with aging, and that weare all at risk of it. The development of drugs that target dementia is a task of the highest priority
considering our future super-aged society, and policy support will be essential in this area.
In the developed nations, the movement to realize societies in which it is possible to coexist
with dementia sufferers has expanded in recent years. Sweden’s Dementia Forum X is arguably
the most advanced movement in this direction. With strong support from Sweden’s Queen Silvia,
the Karolinska Institute (recognized as one of the world’s most advanced centers of medical
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.47
2020.4
research) is supplying a diverse range of evidence-based findings regarding dementia sufferers,
and industry-government-academia cooperation is being mobilized in order to create anenvironment in which dementia patients are readily able to live independent lives. An example ofefforts in this area are initiatives by the Swedish furniture manufacturer Ikea to contribute to therealization of housing that is easier for the elderly to live in. In this issue, Sweden’s ambassador
to Japan, H.E. Pereric Högberg, describes the spirit of these measures as being a belief that people
with dementia have a right to support. These measures treat dementia sufferers with respect, andprovide support for their families. The spirit of Sweden’s approach is being realized in the nationalrollout next year of an initiative in which, as H.E. Högberg states, “If a dementia sufferer has nofamily and no-one to rely on, then the local authorities will step in and support that person in their
daily life”. This is an initiative which Japan should study very attentively.

Towards a Society that respects the Intentions and the Desires of the Individual
One concrete issue that dementia sufferers face is how to manage their assets in order tofinance their lives. In Japan, the assets held by elderly citizens with dementia exceeds 100 trillion
yen, and the immobilization of these funds represents a huge loss for the Japanese economy. In
this issue, Professor Kohei Komamura of Keio University proposes that we should create more“dementia-friendly” social mechanisms, which would assist the decision-making processes ofdementia sufferers, throughout society as a whole. Professor Komamura also points out that inJapan, support for dementia sufferers in the “grey zone” is particularly lagging behind. Initiatives
such as those undertaken by certain British banks, in which the accounts of dementia sufferers
are protected by voice recognition even if they forget their passwords, are richly suggestive forJapan.
Exawizards, Inc. is a company that is similarly applying technical innovations, this time at
the site of nursing care. Mr. Tomoaki Maekawa, Director of the company’s AI Care Division,
points out that in many cases carers are too busy to devote time to improving their caring skills.
Realizing the more widespread use of “templates” for high-quality nursing care will be an
important factor in reducing the burden on carers. In addition to conducting training throughout
the country, Exawizards is engaged in the development of applications that make it possible toprovide instruction to carers from remote locations using AI. In the future, the company is also
seeking to enable the details of care to be changed in response to the behavior of the specific patient,and is collecting data in order to make this a reality. It may be the case that technologicalinnovation in the form of data and AI will be the key to the solution of a range of issues affecting
the provision of care.
Mr. Tadamichi Shimogawara, President of Silverwood Co., Ltd., a company that provides
housing facilities for dementia sufferers, tells us that it will be necessary for us to create a tolerantsociety that allows those with dementia to make mistakes. At the senior living facilities managed
by his company, residents who so desire are able to be independent, perform jobs, and live vital
lives. We can consider the idea of seeking to realize a society in which the intentions and desiresof the elderly are respected to be the foundation of the creation of a society in which we coexist
with dementia sufferers. The opinion that we should transform the system of paid nursing care
into a paradigm that promotes self-reliance has long been bruited. It is time for the government
to take such proposals from the frontline of care as seriously as they deserve.
Dr. Okina is an Executive Vice President of NIRA and the Chairperson of the Japan Research Institute (JRI). She holds
a Ph.D. in economics from Kyoto University. She holds numerous public offices, including as a member of the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry’s Industrial Structure Council.

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.47
2020.4
Expert Opinions

Working towards the Preventive Treatmentof Dementia
The greatest risk factor for the development of
Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for the majority ofdementia, is the aging of the brain. As the brain ages, amyloidβ proteins are prone to accumulate in the brain, and become
triggers for disease. It is believed that these pathogenic proteins
accumulate in the brain causing nerve cells to die. The brain
atrophies, resulting in Alzheimer’s disease.
Research is being conducted throughout the world towards
the development of antibody drugs that will bond with amyloid-βTakeshi Iwatsubo
proteins and promote their elimination from the brain. If suchdrugs can be developed, they will represent a fundamental
Professor, Department of
Neuropathology, Graduate
treatment modality that acts directly on the mechanism causing
School of Medicine,the death of nerve cells. However, the development of such drugs
The University of Tokyo
has faced difficulties to date. Despite the fact that it has beenpossible to reduce amyloid-β proteins, we have not been able todevelop drugs that are effective in relation to core cognitive functions. Against this background, a new
drug called aducanumab displayed an effect on cognitive decline in tests conducted by fall 2019, and is
attracting attention as potentially the world’s first therapeutic drug for Alzheimer’s disease. Whether
or not this drug will be approved will be determined by examinations conducted throughout this year
by regulatory authorities in the US and elsewhere.
My own focus is on preventive treatment. The symptoms of Alzheimer’s first appear when thenumber of nerve cells has been reduced to the point that the brain can no longer compensate for the
decline in number. At this point, the loss of nerve cells is already irreversible. Following thecommencement of accumulation of amyloid-β proteins in the brain, cognitive function will not be
impaired for between 10 to 15 years. If it was possible to halt the accumulation of amyloid-β proteins
within this period through the application of medication or by some other means, we could slow down
the loss of nerve cells before it reached a critical level, and realize prevention of the disease to someextent.
In the western nations also, the most advanced researchers are beginning to consider that weshould make serious efforts to develop preventive treatments. In order to develop new drugs, it will
first be necessary to conduct clinical trials with subjects who are asymptomatic but whose brains havebegun to change. However, precisely because they are at the stage at which symptoms have not yet
appeared, it is difficult to find such test subjects. Given this, we have decided to call for research
volunteers in order to find appropriate candidates for trials. We commenced the “Trial-Ready Cohort”(J-TRC)* Project in fall 2019. This project calls for healthy individuals between the ages of 50 and 85
to take part in clinical trials. It is estimated that in 2025, there will be 7.3 million dementia sufferers
in Japan. I want to devote my full energies to the realization of a future in which we are able to prevent
this disease.
（*） See https://www.j-trc.org
Professor Iwatsubo conducts research on the pathogenic mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease,attempting to develop fundamental therapeutic drugs. Following his graduation from The University of Tokyo’s Facultyof Medicine and his taking of the degree of Doctor of Medicine, he entered the university’s Department of Neurology.
Professor Iwatsubo took his present position in 2007, following a period as a professor in the university’s Graduate Schoolof Pharmaceutical Sciences. Since 2011, he has also been Director of The University of Tokyo Hospital’s Unit for Earlyand Exploratory Clinical Department. Professor Iwatsubo holds numerous public positions as a member of government
committees, etc. The J-TRC, which the professor serves as a research representative, is Japan’s largest project for the
online recruitment of research participants, and is seeking to develop preventive drugs for dementia. Professor Iwatsubo’sTokyo University team forms the core of his research activities, but his research is also being advanced in collaboration
with academic societies, medical research institutes throughout Japan, pharmaceutical companies, and relevant parties
in other countries.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.47
2020.4
Expert Opinions

You are not Alone
In both Japan and Sweden, our average ages have goneup, and there are large numbers of elderly people. Sweden has
a population of 10 million, of which about 160,000 people areliving with dementia. The government has invested resources
and funds to increase the staff involved in care for older people.
If a dementia sufferer has no family and no-one to rely on, thenthe local authorities will step in and support that person in
their daily life, taking care of everything from housing,hygiene, and shopping, to financial and asset management. In
Pereric Högberg
the coming year, the government plans to adopt a more
Ambassador of Sweden to Japan
comprehensive approach to dementia care, ensuring thatpeople with dementia are offered the right support and theright interventions across the whole country.
In Sweden, such conditions as handicaps and HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
diseases have been regarded as stigmas. Dementia has also been stigmatized. The government
provides a variety of forms of support for dementia care, but if there are still cases in which
dementia patients disappear from society and it becomes the business of the family to look after
them, then the situation must be changed. The importance of Dementia Forum X, which I will
discuss here, basically lay in making it possible to talk about dementia as a natural part of life.
Dementia Forum X is a non-governmental conference concerning dementia which has been
held in Sweden since 2015. In 2018, the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic
relations between Sweden and Japan, it was also held in Tokyo. The Forum was founded by privateorganizations including the Forum for Elderly Care, the Swedish Care International, and theSilviahemmet Foundation, and is operated by the Karolinska Institute. It is attended by experts
and stakeholders from diverse sectors, including representatives of support organizations,
government officials and researchers from various nations, representatives of internationalorganizations such as the WHO and the OECD, and world-leading business executives.
The involvement of social role models in the Forum sends the message that dementia is nota stigma that should be hidden, but rather something that should be spoken about openly. You are
not alone, and you have the right to receive support. The fact that Queen Silvia, whose mother hasdementia, has supported the activities of the Forum, has been a major driving force for realizingchange in social awareness. We must create a society in which dementia sufferers are treated withrespect, and in which their families receive support.

Ambassador Hogberg was appointed Sweden’s ambassador to Japan in fall 2019. He has served in positions including asFirst Secretary of the Embassy of Sweden in South Africa, Director of the International Division of the Swedish Arts
Council, Director of the Africa Department of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and as Sweden’s Ambassador to
Japan. Sweden established national guidelines for dementia care in 2010. In addition to setting forth the principle of“Person-centered care,” which emphasizes taking the perspective of the person with dementia, the Guidelines define
methods of care that are recommended and methods that are not, based on evidence, provide appropriate indicators ofquality and effectiveness, and indicate expected results.

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.47
2020.4
Expert Opinions

Make Finance and Other Social Systems “Dementia-friendly”
Currently, it is estimated that one person in four people over
the age of 75 in Japan has dementia. Issues related to money andfinancing, including medical and nursing care, housing, asset
management, business succession, and inheritance cluster in thesecond half of life. These are issues regarding which it is difficult tomake decisions even if one does not have dementia. 25% of thebalance of household assets in Japan is in the hands of people aged
over 75. A simple estimate indicates that more than 100 trillion yenof these assets are possessed by individuals suffering from
Kohei Komamura
dementia. Who will provide support for these dementia sufferers in
Director, Institute for Economic
possession of significant assets, and how will they do so? It is
Studies Research Center forimportant for each individual to prepare early, but there are limits
Financial Gerontology,
to this. It will be essential for financial institutions and society as
Keio University
a whole to create new systems, environments and business models
in order to support decision-making by the elderly.
An Adult Guardianship System is available for individuals who are no longer able to makerational decisions due to the progression of their dementia. However, this system does not provide
support for individuals in the “grey zone,” the period in which neither they nor the people around them
are certain that they have dementia. Our ability to make judgments regarding our economic activities
changes as we age, reaching its peak in our 40s and 50s. Following this, with the slow decline in our
cognitive abilities, it becomes more difficult to compare and examine complex alternatives, and we canbecome over-confident, placing too much trust in our own abilities. In addition, it has been scientifically
proven that our decision-making is more readily affected by other people’s explanations as we age. It
will be important for financial institutions to determine the level of ability to make judgments
possessed by individuals using banking services. Additionally, rigorous ethical standards will beessential to ensure that financial institutions do not engage in transactions that take advantage of adecline in the ability to make decisions among their customers.
The Adult Guardianship System protects and supports people with insufficient powers of
judgment, but it also restricts the rights of the individuals subject to the system to make decisions.
Financial institutions will currently freeze the accounts of individuals diagnosed with dementia, but
this is merely a measure for the avoidance of lawsuits and other claims against them. What would bedesirable, rather, is a more friendly society that respects the will of the individual even if they havedementia. In Britain, some banks make it possible to protect accounts by voice recognition even if theaccount holder has forgotten their password. Taking into consideration the remaining ability of theindividual to make decisions, they are making efforts to provide support in order to enable dementia
sufferers to use their services despite the decline in their cognitive abilities. It will be essential toprovide support that is not restricted to bank withdrawals, but which spans the entire range of
economic activities, including, in addition to arrangements for medical and nursing care, thearrangement of non-insurance-related services such as support for daily life.
Professor Komamura researches reform of the social security system in societies with declining birthrates and aging
populations. He graduated from Keio University’s Graduate School of Economics, and holds a Ph.D. in economics. He has
been a Professor in Keio University’s Faculty of Economics since 2007, following periods as a researcher at the National
Institute of Population and Social Security Research and a Professor at Toyo University. The Research Center for
Financial Gerontology was established in 2016. The research conducted by the Center incorporates results fromgerontology, cognitive science and brain and neuroscience in order to study the social problems caused by decline incognitive ability. Professor Komamura holds numerous public positions, including as a member of the Social Security
Council and the Working Group on Financial Markets of the Financial Services Agency’s Financial System Council.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.47
2020.4
Expert Opinions

Increasing the Number of Providers of High-quality Dementia
Care through Humanitude and Remote Care Coaching
Dementia is a social issue that it will not be possible to
avoid in our future super-aged society. In response to this issue,
Exawizards Inc. is utilizing technology in order to expand theuse of “templates” for the provision of high-quality care. In manycases, caregivers are extremely busy providing care, and they do
not have the time to devote to improving their care skills. Whilethey may provide care in their own fashion, this may not
produce the appropriate results. The provision of a “template”
can sometimes be surprisingly effective. Our goal is to offer a
Tomoaki Maekawa
platform that teaches better approaches to care, in order to
Director, AI Care Division, Care
increase the number of providers of high-quality care in the
Tech Dept., Exawizards Inc.
community.
What we focused on first was a method of communication
known as “Humanitude,” which emerged from France. Humanitude makes the purpose of care thecreation of a good relationship between the caregiver and the recipient of care by means ofcommunication. The method is employed in a wide range of fields of nursing care, and is effective
in cases of dementia. Exawizards conducts training in Humanitude throughout the country, andwe are also working in cooperation with local governments to verify the effect of introduction of
the method. For example, in the case of an initiative conducted with Fukuoka City, it was shownthat two hours of training for family caregivers resulted in a 30% reduction in the burden on
caregivers one month after the training.
There is a limit to the “templates” that can be provided using this Humanitude training
alone. Because of this, we have also started offering a video communication (remote care coaching)application called “Care Coaching,” which utilizes AI. Using this application, caregivers video
actual scenes of care in the location in which it is provided, and veteran staff and specialists inremote locations are able to check the details of care and make comments. The application is used
not only for care, but also to allow easy sharing of any items that need to be reported. We intend
to further evolve the application. For example, by employing AI to analyze the video data
accumulated in the application, we will enable the AI to provide care guidance itself, and byanalyzing specific video scenes, we will make the application easier for users to employ.
Another of the goals of the Care Tech Dept. is to provide support for changing the detailsof care depending on the context of the behavior of the recipient of care. With the help of sufferersof dementia, we aim to create a database that will allow us to understand the context behind
specific behaviors, and to link this understanding with the details of care. We seek to increase
the quality of care across the care industry by creating a database that can be utilized by any
division of the industry.
Mr. Maekawa is the Director of Exawizards Inc.’s Care Tech Dept. Established in 2016, Exawizards is a company that
promotes industrial innovation and the solution of social problems through the development of services utilizing AI. The
Care Tech Dept. seeks to apply technology in order to realize a society in which people are able to receive care with peaceof mind in any part of the country, allowing them to grow old in good health. Among its other projects, the Care Tech
Dept. is also conducting gait analysis and developing AI to visualize the impact of actual care on controlling the futureneed for nursing care. Mr. Maekawa completed the Tokyo Institute of Technology’s specialized course in Mechanical andIntelligent Systems Engineering. He took his present position in 2019, following periods of employment with Sony
Corporation and the Boston Consulting Group.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.47
2020.4
Expert Opinions

A Society that learns from People with
Dementia
When they hear the word “dementia,” people who do notpossess a correct understanding of the condition exclusively
imagine severe symptoms due to progressive atrophy of thebrain. What happens as a result is that both society at large andthe individual’s family sees that individual only as “a personwith dementia.” And then they steadily rob that person even ofthings that they are able to do before it is necessary – “Don’t
carry a wallet,” “Don’t go out,” etc. But there are numerous
things that many sufferers of dementia are still able to do, andthey can lead enjoyable lives. Of course, they will sometimes
Tadamichi Shimogawara
make mistakes. The important thing is for society to have
President, Silverwood Co., Ltd.
tolerance for mistakes caused by dementia. The concept here isthat we learn this tolerance from people with dementia.
I developed a virtual reality (VR) apparatus in order to enable the people around dementia
sufferers to understand what type of world they lived in, and what it was that troubled them. We haveprovided this vicarious experience of the feelings of dementia sufferers to 60,000 family members,
personnel of medical institutions, and representatives of companies and local governments. Everyone
has said that it touched a deep chord within them and allowed them to really feel the emotional stateof dementia sufferers. The thing that I most want them to become aware of is the fact that dementia
sufferers are innately confused and troubled. Say that you have taken your usual train, but suddenly
you do not know the station at which you should get off. It is difficult for others to understand the fear
felt by the dementia sufferer when the world that has previously been taken for granted becomes
uncertain. They might ask their family numerous times whether they have eaten lunch. It is not thatthey wish to cause anyone trouble. But despite the fact that it is the person who is forgetting who ismost troubled, it is they who others become angry at. How many times have I heard “Why do they get
so angry at me, it makes me so unhappy.”
The senior living facilities operated by Silverwood Co., Ltd. may be described as senior living
facilities with an option for work. If we include cases of Mild Cognitive Impairment（MCI）, 90% of ourresidents have dementia. Nevertheless, any resident who wishes to is able to work at the restaurants
or the candy stores in the facilities. If the work is divided up according to ability, even people withdementia are able to perform it adequately. Sometimes one of our residents goes missing, but in thesecases everyone goes looking for them. It is not our role to feed anxiety on the part of someone who may
make a mistake, but rather to be tolerant, and to engage in rational consideration in order to ensurethat our elderly workers do not make mistakes. It is my hope that businesses that incorporate welfarerelated elements of this type will be further developed, enabling us to create a society and systems that
respect the intentions and desires of the elderly, whether they have dementia or not. While thegovernment is talking about measures to support self-reliance, in actual fact the system remains one
in which more nursing care equals more profits for the operator. This system that ensures that
remuneration will accrue in proportion to the degree of nursing care must itself be reformed.
Mr. Shimogawara is the President of Silverwood Co., Ltd., a company that he founded in 2000 to work in the field of thinand lightweight steel beams. When his company began receiving orders for the construction of housing for seniors, Mr.
Shimogawara was inspired to commence the design and development of senior living facilities. Silverwood manages theserviced senior living facilities “Gin-Moku-Sei,” which have grown to 12 branches. In addition to respecting the freedom
and independence of residents, the high-quality interiors and superior architecture offer an elegant environment,
ensuring their popularity. The “VR Dementia Experience” is a project inspired by the opinions and experiences of theresidents of the Gin-Moku- Sei facilities. Mr. Shimogawara is a businessperson whose freedom of thought enables him
to transcend the conventional frameworks of his industry. He also serves as the President of the Senior Housing
Association.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement