Vital Signs
SHOW #11 (airs Thurs Sep 24th)
Japan
BUSINESS OF MEDICINE: JAPAN’S LIMITLESS LIFE
With a dwindling young workforce - and a growing number of senior citizens - Japan is facing a fiscal squeeze. Some say there's a segment of the population that’s overlooked but key to the country's survival. Japan's population enjoys a longevity unrivaled in most parts of the world. But the 60-year-old retirement age means many healthy seniors are stopping work before they're ready. Experts say all the countries of the world will face the challenge of a rapidly aging population - Japan is just getting there before the rest of us. High in the mountains on the Japanese island of Shikoku, a glimpse, perhaps, of what the rest of an aging world might look like in the coming years. Half the 2,000 residents in the town of Kamikatsu are 65 years and older. But this elderly population is the backbone of the town's most lucrative industry. Irodori Company has revitalized the town financially, supplying sixty-percent of the decorative leaves purchasesd by Japan's hotels and restaurants. All this would not be possible without the elderly workforce.
GAMING FOR HEALTH
Japanese video game company Nintendo has been at the forefront of the so-called "gaming for health." Nintendo's brain gaming line has benefited from a huge market for products that claim to re-engergize the brain. Recent study suggests Nintendo's Wii Fit games can help relieve symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Dr. Sanjay Gupta weighs in on the connection between gaming and health.
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