ExaWizards commences the Family Caregiver Support Project in collaboration with a local government – Establishment of a free telephone consultation service with qualified Humanitude-accredited instructors in Fukuoka City –

On April 28 (Tue.), ExaWizards Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & President: Ko Ishiyama; hereinafter, “ExaWizards”) commenced the Family Caregiver Support Project in collaboration with a local government.

 Providing family caregivers with online support, both technical and emotional

The COVID-19 pandemic has started to affect the running of home-based care services, such as visiting care, day care and respite care. It would be difficult for family caregivers to cover the kinds of functions usually performed by home-based care service providers, potentially creating a serious social issue in the sense that decreasing cognitive functions and physical capabilities among elderly persons will dramatically increase the burden placed on family caregivers.

The Family Caregiver Support Project aims to tackle this social issue by supporting family caregivers through the provision of solutions which address both disuse atrophy and dementia. In terms of measures against disuse atrophy, “Remote Coaching,” a communication app administered by ExaWizards, will be used to broadcast videos of exercise programs that can be undertaken at home. And users who upload videos of themselves putting into practice these exercises can be provided with support for maintaining the physical activity and motor functions of those under their care while refraining from going outside. This support will be provided remotely by physical therapists and occupational therapists, who will correct and comment on the videos.

In terms of measures against dementia, we intend to start providing an app to help reduce the burden on family caregivers utilizing AI. This app will introduce Humanitude techniques that can be put into practice immediately, even at home, and nurture community cohesion in caregiving, all in an online setting. We will also take measures to provide family caregivers with support, both technical and emotional, by acting as a window for assistance and consultations in coordination with local governments.

Through measures such as these, ExaWizards will continue to provide support to those giving care.

*1: Humanitude® is a method of caregiving based on comprehensive sensory, emotional and verbal communication, created by French physical education experts Yves Gineste and Rosette Marescotti in 1979. It is founded on a philosophy that questions what it is to be a caregiver, as well as what it is to be human, along with practical techniques based on this philosophy. ExaWizards has entered into a collaboration with SAS Humanitude (Headquarters: France; Legal representative: Yves Gineste) to plan and administer Japan’s only official Humanitude training.

 Establishment of a telephone consultation service with qualified Humanitude-accredited instructors

The first initiative we took under this project was to establish a free telephone consultation service with qualified Humanitude-accredited instructors in collaboration with Fukuoka City. This initiative was also adopted as part of Fukuoka City’s “Dementia-friendly City Project,” of which ExaWizards is a participating member. Using the Humanitude techniques, which have been proven to be effective in alleviating behavioral and psychological symptoms among care receivers, as well in reducing the sense of burden felt by caregivers, these instructors listen to the various worries of those contacting the consultation service, and help to reduce the anxieties and stress of family caregivers who have become stuck at home and isolated because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Overview of the telephone consultation service]
Consultation days: April 30 (Thu.) – May 22 (Fri.)
(Weekdays, excluding weekends and national holidays. Some exceptions, as indicated below.)
Afternoon only consultation days: April 30 (Thu.) and May 1 (Fri.)
Weekends and national holiday consultation days: May 2 (Sat.), May 3 (Sun.) and May 5 (Tue.)
(The service will be open on these days.)
Consultation format: Prior booking for day of call required; choose from the below consultation time slots and specify this at the time of booking.
Eligibility: Those living or working in Fukuoka City
Consultation times: 15 min. per session, can be extended up to one time (maximum 30 min.)
Morning slots: 09:00-09:30, 10:00-10:30, 11:00-11:30
Afternoon slots: 13:00-13:30, 14:00-14:30, 15:00-15:30, 16:00-16:30
Advisor: A qualified Humanitude-accredited instructor at ExaWizards
Charge: Free
Booking period: From April 28 (Tue.), 11:00 – May 21 (Thu.), 15:00
*Bookings are on a first come first served basis, and will close once all places have been filled.
How to book a consultation: Apply via the website or email.

■ Booking application page
Please read the instructions at the below link and apply via the website or email.
https://humanitude.care/products/fukuoka-inhouse/

[About ExaWizards Inc.]
Sticking to our mission: Solving social issues through Artificial Intelligence for future generations, we develop and commercialize AI products in a wide range of areas from caregiving, medical care, and human resource management to robotics and finance. Our members represent a kaleidoscopic variety of talent, including not only AI engineers but also software and hardware engineers, strategy consultants, UI/UX designers, as well as subject matter experts, researchers, and policy experts specializing in caregiving and other fields. Based in Japan, a super-aging society, ExaWizards, engages in product development with a thorough understanding of the front-line needs and issues in each field, while expanding globally through business development initiatives at overseas bases.
Website: https://exawizards.com/en/