Sompo Japan to Beef Up Nursing Care Business

February 25, 2018

Tokyo- Major Japanese insurance group Sompo Holdings Inc. plans to reinforce its nursing care business in response to the rapid aging of the country's society, informed sources have said.

The firm will analyze big data related to elderly people in cooperation with the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, with the aim of offering new services, including one to help detect dementia at the early stage, the sources said.

Sompo Holdings operates nursing homes for elderly people and provides visiting care services through subsidiaries. After expanding operations partly through the acquisitions of related businesses from such companies as Watami Co., the group now ranks second in Japan in terms of nursing service revenue.

"In 2025, one in three people aged 65 or over would have the risk of developing dementia," Sompo Holdings President Kengo Sakurada noted in a recent interview.

"We'll work in earnest on resolving issues related to dementia" at a time when traffic accidents caused by elderly drivers and other problems associated with seniors are increasingly drawing attention, he said.

Sompo Japan will analyze traffic accident data held by the group and information on users of its nursing services.

Based on the results of the analysis, the company will consider developing a service to detect a decrease in elderly people's cognitive function at the early stage and offering improvement programs combining physical exercises and other training. Jiji Press