Redefining Care: Activating Communities of the Future
Looking after future ageing communities in Japan and globally.
Obie is made by Eyeclick whose CEO and Founder Ariel Almos is shown above with Debbie Howard
By Debbie Howard
Chairman of The Carter Group, Japan Market Resource Network
and Co-Founder of Living Best
Living Best (Ageing with Technology), the Tokyo-based innovation of The Carter Group that nurtures agetech startups, recently traveled to Singapore to showcase its Japan Market Entry Accelerator program.
The venue was high energy, with many activities and opportunities for creating a streamlined superhighway between Japan and Singapore—and onward into Asia.
The Ageing Asia Innovation Forum convened its 15th annual conference and exhibition during the week of May 6 in Singapore, during what has become known as World Ageing Festival. With activities all week long and the main conference on May 8–9, the event featured an impressive speaker lineup of over 100, multiple startup pitch contests, and an exhibition expo.
Organized by Singapore-based Ageing Asia, the first Ageing Market Consultancy “Social Enterprise” in Asia with the mission to change the future of ageing in Asia Pacific, this event united representatives from more than 50 countries at the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel, and showcased innovations from some of the world’s top products across categories such as assistive living, home and community care, active ageing, technology, and rehabilitation and wellness.
In 2024, the theme Redefining Care: Activating Communities of the Future signified the event’s commitment to addressing the evolving landscape of ageing care and its impact on communities globally.
At its booth, the Living Best team conducted vox pop interviews with general consumers, exhibitors, and B2B attendees. A core aspect of the booth included demonstrations of one of Living Best’s group of startups, called Obie from EyeClick, an award-winning tech solution with thousands of installations across care homes worldwide, and currently exploring market entry to Japan.
The challenges of ageing are worldwide, driven by care worker shortages, equity of access, and the need for delivery in remote and rural geographic regions—and manifesting in demand pressures both in professional settings and with unpaid family caregivers, who are pressed to fill the gaps in healthcare and support delivery.
Japan leads as the world’s most aged population (30% aged 65+), but other developed countries are all following the same path, making proactivity and prevention in health and wellness paramount for both individuals and society at large.
Cross-border dialogs and the promotion of all actors working together to escalate solutions is key to addressing this very real problem in our world.
Living Best™’s Japan Market Entry Accelerator is a unique three-month, online program designed to facilitate end-to-end entry into the Japanese market for international companies, placing user research at its core.
You can learn more about the landscape for ageing in Asia and this important gathering from key participants who spoke on two one-hour audio-only shows from the Rethinking Aging Club (Age-Friendly Product Alliance), which aired on April 25 and May 2.
Speakers:
- Janice Chia, AAIF Owner & Producer, Managing Director of Ageing Asia
- Paul Maher Director of Finance, McLean Care Ltd and iAgeHealth
- Ron Ribitzky, MD, Global Head of Health Sciences and Marketing, Alphind healthcare, www.clubhouse.com/room/mZgqwkE0
- Adam Claydon-Platt, Head of Ventures, Living Best – Ageing with Technology
- Andrea Mariani, Area Manager APAC, Technogym
- Chwee Foon Lim, CEO Asia Pacific, Ekso Bionics, www.clubhouse.com/room/PbgN3eEB
Download The Carter Group Living Best’s White Paper, entitled “Japan: The World’s Real-time Laboratory for AgeTech”