--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: Re-writing the Elderly Care Playbook image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt388c738e6684f77b/6a4b52795fed02e62ca48a22/09F0B58A95E54450A7FF9C15B8E1D4BB.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # Re-writing the Elderly Care Playbook  Population aging is now one of the key demographic shifts taking place in almost every nation. Not only are populations aging, but they’re also living longer than they were just a few short decades ago. The OECD reports, for instance, that the over 80s will make up 8% of the G20 population by 2050. #### Adapting to an Aging World One of the biggest challenges faced by healthcare systems worldwide is the chronic shortage of skilled, quality care workers. The ratio of caregivers to seniors in the US is projected to drop from seven to one in 2022 to four to one in 2030\. There will be almost 43% fewer care workers in 2030 as the population of seniors outpaces the number of caregivers available to look after them. The shortage of trained, quality elderly care staff has serious implications for individuals and society. The elderly, in need of special attention, suffer reduced quality of life. Their families, who, in turn, have to pick up the care baton, face economic pressures and mental health issues. And society suffers from having part of its population sidelined, unable to return to employment, volunteer, or interact productively in everyday social life.  #### Changing the Face of Elderly Care One global company that is tackling these challenges head on is the Japanese insurer and risk solution provider, SOMPO. SOMPO has reinvented the traditional approach to elderly care in Japan which it hopes to take globally through its international partnerships. The 135-year-old insurer has expanded the business as a leading Japanese care business through Sompo Care, acquiring care facilities across Japan and building a digitally enabled integrated network of nursing homes, elderly living facilities, and care providers. Sompo Care strives to extend healthy and purposeful lives for seniors by providing services that fall outside of long- term health insurance. Iki Guide, for example, is a counseling service for seniors in the community that supports them in being active in their daily lives. The service provides customized personal advice on such things as nutrition, health, community involvement, and even opportunities for senior employment post-retirement. Along with the rest of the world, Japan, the world’s first and most rapidly aging country, is set to see an increase in shortages of care workers — from 320,000 in 2025 to 690,000 in 2040. Sompo Care has three particular innovative approaches to training care staff. First, it seeks to raise employee awareness of the importance of elderly care in the sustainability of an optimally functioning society. A philosophy based on the concept of respect for people underpins this approach. Second, it houses replica care-environments of nursing home settings within the company, called Sompo Care University, that provide employees with more real-life care experience, better preparing them for what they will encounter when they complete training. And third, it elevates the worthiness of the care profession and the self-esteem of caregivers through a program of recognizing and rewarding exceptionally dedicated and motivated care workers.  #### Promoting the Care Profession The importance of a satisfying and purposeful life cannot be overstated when it comes to elderly well-being, but it is often overlooked in traditional nurse care facilities and approaches to elderly care. Care workers identified as embodying the attitudinal traits to treat the elderly with a high degree of care, support, and dignity, as well as exceptionally high standards of care professionalism, are chosen as ‘Care Pride Meisters’. They are identified for their dedication to promoting both physical health care and a more satisfying and purposeful life for the elderly. Sompo Care provides these Care Pride Meisters with additional training and the opportunity to sharpen their skill sets. Kasumi Kishinami, Assistant Home Manager in Sompo Care La vie Re Soka Matsubara nursing home, says, “Being selected as a Care Pride Meister has put a lot of pressure on me, but it has also increased my motivation. Since becoming a Meister, I have received training in a variety of fields, which has not only broadened my knowledge, but also made me more flexible in my thinking. Through the training, I have been able to exchange ideas with other Meisters, which has been a great learning experience. As a Meister I want to do my best to be a role model for others.”  #### Food for Thought One important dimension of elderly care is diet and nutrition. The Japanese government, recognizing the criticality of diet for the elderly, has mandated the placement of nutritionists in geriatric health care facilities, long-term care hospitals, and special care facilities. Sompo Care has taken this a step further. Through a subsidiary company, Sompo Care Foods, they have set up the Sompo Care Food Lab, which, in addition to creating tasty nutritional food for the elderly, also conducts research into eating issues such as swallowing and chewability. The results speak for themselves. Users in Sompo Care nursing facilities are effusive about the quality of their meals, saying, “The meals are seasonal and balanced, which keeps me healthy. The menus are prepared for the events, and the food is always delicious.”  #### The Future of Elderly Care With an eye to the future of elderly care in Japan, Sompo Care has begun holding events called Children’s Cafeterias in some of their nursing care facilities. Once a month, the cafeterias serve meals to any child that visits. In addition to receiving a free meal, the children engage in fun activities organized by the staff. The result has been an uplift in the spirits of the residents as well as care workers and kitchen staff. More than 10,000 meals have been served since 2022. SOMPO has also opened a pavilion at KidZania Tokyo, an indoor city made for children where exciting careers can be tried out through realistic role play. The pavilion gives children the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a care worker. The effect of both of these initiatives has been to expose children to the elderly, fostering understanding, empathy, and multigenerational interaction. --- > “In Japan, the shortage of caregivers in the future is a major concern due to the declining birthrate and aging population. At Sompo Care, we are challenging ourselves to change the future of caregiving and the future of Japan by continuing our efforts to promote children's understanding and aspirations for caregiving by reaching out to the children who will be responsible for the future.” Takamitsu Washimi, Director, Chief Operating Officer, Sompo Care ---  Ranking as Japan’s number one care company by number of rooms, and second by revenue, Sompo Care is well- positioned to provide a concrete solution to care worker shortages. The company is changing the face of nursing care in Japan and, eventually, the world with grounding breaking initiatives in Sompo Care’s expanding network of nursing homes, assisted senior living facilities, and residences (over 470 so far across Japan). These initiatives, including their in-house training facility, Sompo Care University, and the pavilion at KidZania Tokyo, are producing better trained care workers while simultaneously raising the profile and career- appeal of elderly care. 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