Global Journal of Human-Social Science, A: Arts and Humanities, Volume 22 Issue 8

people withlow education level; enhancing the design of public pension schemes, and encouraging personal savings. 16 Nevertheless, there has been little progress in implementing these measures, for they challenge the fundamentals of the intergenerational social contract and call into question the acquired social guarantees. As the options for reform in labor and social policy seem rather limited, it may be relevant to look for alternatives that are more politically and socially viable. One such alternative might be the use of advanced technology to mitigate the costs associated with population aging. 17 According to the EU’s New Industrial Strategy for Europe, the combination of the digital economy and green economy may be a trigger of new business models, working schemes, and productivity. 18 II. T echnology as a M itigating M easure of S ocial A ging It may also help modernize health care, social services, transportation; improve productivity; and offer new products and services for the aging society. Section 2.0. will look at some business practices in that regard. a) Nursing, preventive, rehabilitative, and assistance services Health care is one of the sectors most affected by social aging. Not only is the public healthcare expenditure destined to grow, but also the demand for different healthcare services - from specialist consultations to daycare services for the elder population is projected to expand. According to research by Eurofound (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions), personal care workers are the second most demanded occupation next to information and communication technology (ICT) professionals in the EU. Nevertheless, the study also pointsout that personal care jobs “are not yet strongly impacted by new technology and are not offshorable. They are in the lowest or second-lowest wage quintile.” 19 For example, Germany has around 13,600 home centers for elder citizens which employ around 1million caregivers. However, there still is a shortage of 15,000 geriatric nurses and around 8,500 auxiliary personnel. Although the number of foreign nurses, 16 https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/defau lt/files/demography_report_20 20_n.pdf; https://www.oecd.org/economy/ageing-inclusive- growth/; https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/report/2017/working- conditions-of-workers-of-different-ages 17 https://www.ilo.org/global/WCM_041965/lang--en/index.htm#P27_ 5453 18 https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/demography_report_20 20_n.pdf 19 https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/blog/current-chang es-to-the-labour-market-may-well-define-the-future-of-europe especially from Asia, has almost doubled for the last decade, qualifying nursing candidates to cover only 1/5 of the demand. 20 Some encouraging examples come from nursing houses in Japan. More than twenty different types of robots—humanoid and non-humanoid—are already used to provide care for the elderly in Japan. It becomes reasonable to ask whether this growing demand for personal care services may be supplemented by advanced technologies considering the shortage of personnel. 21 SHIN- TOMI Nursing Home is at the forefront of aid robotics, a market that may represent a $3.8 billion opportunity by 2035 in Japan. 22 Among them, there are humanoid robots that lead physical exercises, conversation partners, and even robotic pets . 23 In addition to humanoid robots such as SoftBank’s Pepper, nursing homes in Japan use a variety of robotic devices to assist human caregivers. For example, RESYONE is an automated bed that transforms into a wheelchair. TREEis a grab-hold device used in walking rehabilitation. A hybrid Assistive Limb is a robotic lever tohelp caregivers lift patients. In a sector where 80% of caregivers experience back problems, such robotic exoskeletons that can lift and move around patients help to reduce physical strain and injuries among staff . 24 Sohgo Security Services, known as ALSOK, created thumb-sized electronic devices that can help track dementia patients who are likely to wander from their homes or care facilities . 25 20 https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/ documents/publication/w cms_710863.pdf, pp. 46-48 But though robotic 21 Malcom Foster, “Aging Japan: Robots may have role in future of elder care,” Reuters, March 27, 2018 ,https://www.reuters.com/article/ us-japan-ageing-robots-widerimage/aging-japan-robots-may-have- role-in-future-of-elder-care-idUSKBN1H33AB. 22 Malcom Foster, “How robots coul d help care for Japa n's ageing population,” The Independent, April 9, 2018, https://www.indepen dent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/photogr aphy/japan-robot-elderly-care- ageing-population-exercises-movement-a8295706.html; Don Lee, “Desperate for work ers, aging Japan turns to robots for healthcare,” Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2019, https://www.latimes.com/world- nation/story/2019-07-25/desperate-for-workers-aging-japan-turns-to-ro bots-for-healthcare; Al Jazeera, “Innovative Japanese projects help seniors with dementia,” YouTube, September 18, 2017, https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=es1p16FIM-U. 23 Jun Wu, “Robots, Aging Population and Pets: A story of shifting demographics, aging population and robots,” Towards data science, April 22, 2019, https://towardsdatascience.com/robots-aging-popula tion-and-pets-c84cdd5214cb. 24 Bryan Lufkin, “What the world canlearn from Japan’s robots,” BBC, February 6, 202 0,https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200205-what- the-world-can-learn-from-japans-robots. 25 Justin McCurry, “Japan's dementia crisis hits record levels as thousands go missing,” The Guardian, June 16, 2016, https://www. theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/16/record-12208-people-with-demen tia-reported-missing-in-japan; © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue VIII Version I 25 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 A Can the 4 th Industrial Revolution be a Solution to the Challenges of Social Aging?