In an effort to enhance eldercare in Hawaiʻi, researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center on Aging joined a study tour to Fukuoka city in March. The tour aimed to explore the region’s innovative Fukuoka 100 Plan (PDF), a cross-sector initiative that’s transforming aging services in Japan.
The Hawaiʻi delegation included Christy Nishita and Jinyoung (Jenny) Lee from the Center on Aging, who observed and learned about the innovative program supported by the Fukuoka Council for Designing Society in Aging Asia. The plan, “100 Actions to Achieve a Healthy Social Model Anticipating the Era of 100 Years of Life,” seeks to create a collaborative regional society that integrates new ideas from private enterprises and universities into government policies, fostering community-building initiatives that enhance the well-being of both individuals and society. This approach is based on the understanding that the demographic shift toward an older population will impact everyone.
“The way Japan is addressing its aging population offers valuable lessons for us in Hawaiʻi, where our own population is also aging,” said Nishita, director of the Center on Aging. “Currently, about 20% of Hawaiʻi’s population is aged 65 and over, and this number is expected to rise as the baby boom generation continues to age.”
Some of the many strategies that the project is putting into action include promoting expansion of digital health and monitoring systems, developing greater opportunities for older adults to remain engaged in their communities to avoid social isolation, and training more caregivers to provide compassionate and efficient care to people living with symptoms of dementia.
During the tour, the group engaged with city leaders and advocates who are championing the goals of the Fukuoka 100 Plan.
The Fukuoka 100 Plan, named to represent a hundred initiatives responding to population aging and the increasing number of centenarians in Japan, has been developed over many years. It leverages the strengths of various sectors including healthcare, social welfare, information and communications technology, housing, community, education and retail to create comprehensive design and planning models.
Nishita, Lee and their colleagues returned to Hawaiʻi with valuable insights and strategies for enhancing eldercare infrastructure in their communities.
The Center on Aging is housed in UH Mānoa’s Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health.
