Comment Re:...in nursing homes (Score 2, Interesting) 352
Having volunteered weekily in nursing homes across central Japan for several years, as well as having additional social work experience with multi-generational Japanese families, I can really relate to what Bushcat is saying here.
Technologically, exoskeletons I think are cool. However, this particular need has been greatly increased if not caused by cultural negligence. If you get out of Tokyo, and head up into the Yamanaka sato (rural mountains), you will find yourself surrounded by legions of shriveled up and crippled elderly. This is primarily dietary and vitamin deficiency based. Imagine trying to walk while curled in the fetal position, then realize they can never lift themselves higher than that. Yet they have the most beautiful smiles always.
Outside N.America and Europe, there is little history of collective social organizations or public welfare. This has been nearly exclusively left to the families to manage. Theoretically, it works as long as the family is able to meet the medical and financial demands.
However, with post WW2 globalization trends, more de-emphasis has been placed on the family, with official government promotion of the 'unfettered' life, and putting mom and dad in 'the happy place'. These places for the most part are run like government factories where people line up waiting to 'graduate'.
While this technology development is cool in its own right, it won't resolve bone density issues, musclear degeneration, or the other environmental and dietary ailments. This type of 'solution' is endemic to Japanese beaureaucracy, in that it is much more agreeable to patch things than fix the system. Everyone knows it sucks, everyone knows its wrong, but don't rock the boat and we'll pretend that the problem will go away. By the grace of the great cabocha (pumpkin) more people have not died as a result of the nuke 'whoopsies' there from this kind of management.
Shouts out to 'genki na kamesan', an incredible onoe-of-a-kind retirement home in Sakado. That place was a fun, lively, 'LIVING' place.
Technologically, exoskeletons I think are cool. However, this particular need has been greatly increased if not caused by cultural negligence. If you get out of Tokyo, and head up into the Yamanaka sato (rural mountains), you will find yourself surrounded by legions of shriveled up and crippled elderly. This is primarily dietary and vitamin deficiency based. Imagine trying to walk while curled in the fetal position, then realize they can never lift themselves higher than that. Yet they have the most beautiful smiles always.
Outside N.America and Europe, there is little history of collective social organizations or public welfare. This has been nearly exclusively left to the families to manage. Theoretically, it works as long as the family is able to meet the medical and financial demands.
However, with post WW2 globalization trends, more de-emphasis has been placed on the family, with official government promotion of the 'unfettered' life, and putting mom and dad in 'the happy place'. These places for the most part are run like government factories where people line up waiting to 'graduate'.
While this technology development is cool in its own right, it won't resolve bone density issues, musclear degeneration, or the other environmental and dietary ailments. This type of 'solution' is endemic to Japanese beaureaucracy, in that it is much more agreeable to patch things than fix the system. Everyone knows it sucks, everyone knows its wrong, but don't rock the boat and we'll pretend that the problem will go away. By the grace of the great cabocha (pumpkin) more people have not died as a result of the nuke 'whoopsies' there from this kind of management.
Shouts out to 'genki na kamesan', an incredible onoe-of-a-kind retirement home in Sakado. That place was a fun, lively, 'LIVING' place.
