Initiatives for the Well-Being of Society and Residents in a Rural Area
10.2185/jjrm.73.501
- VernacularTitle:地方でのWell-beingに向けて ─佐渡ヶ島の挑戦─
- Author:
Kenji SATO
1
Author Information
1. Sado General Hospital
- From:Journal of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine
2025;73(6):501-509
- CountryJapan
- Language:ja
-
Abstract:
Japan's declining birthrate and aging population are serious problems. The elderly population will eventually begin to decline, but the rapid decline in the productive and child populations will greatly exceed this. At the same time, advances in medicine and the increasing demand for safety management will lead to an increase in healthcare and welfare costs, further widening the gap between the demand and response capacity for these services. In the city of Sado, where the proportion of the elderly population exceeds 43%, the number of hospitals is decreasing, and the number of long-term care facilities is also beginning to decline, providing a glimpse into Japan's not-too-distant future. The present healthcare and long-term care insurance systems cannot be maintained without an increase in the proportion of the productive population. Two possible countermeasures are to respond with fewer resources by better sharing and utilizing information, efficiently using local resources, and preventing serious illness through early intervention, and to prevent an increase in the demand for healthcare and welfare services by raising people's awareness of maintaining good health, with the goal of creating a well-being-oriented community. The “Sado Himawari Net” information-sharing platform was launched in 2013 to share residents' healthcare information with medical institutions, long-term care facilities, and the local government. At present, 30% of residents and 60% of healthcare and welfare facilities have registered with the platform. Information that is directly linked to people’s lives, such as family structure, decision-makers, and living abilities, is more valuable to share than healthcare information, and a system to share such information and promote communication is currently under development. In addition, an AI-based system to assist in the selection of long-term care facilities that match the needs of each resident is also being developed as part of the plan to promote the efficient and effective use of local resources. (View PDF for the rest of the abstract.)
