<p>WITH many of his friends and family getting on in years, Babbage has had perforce the chance to compare how the elderly are cared for professionally in America, Britain and Japan. In all three, the private facilities he has visited have been broadly similar and their costs much the same. But one thing stands out about the places the old and infirm are cared for in Japan. Whether they be nursing homes, geriatric hospitals or hospices, all seem to suffer a dire shortage of nursing staff. Being an inventive people, though, the Japanese have come up with some nifty solutions. The rest of the ageing world would do well to take note.</p><p>Blessed as they are with a healthy diet, plenty of unavoidable exercise and near universal access to cheap medical services, it is no surprise that the Japanese live longer than practically any other nationality. With an average life expectancy of 82 years for women and 79 for men, Japan has more than its share of octogenarians and nonagenarians.</p><p>Thanks to a rapid decline in its fertility rate over recent years (now down to 1.3 births per woman), Japan is also ageing faster than any other country. In 1990 only 12% of Japanese were over 65. In 2010, 23% were. By 2025 an estimated 33% of the population will have become senior citizens. No other country has seen so swift a reversal of its demographics.</p><p>This speedy change has focused the minds of Japanese health officials. All the more so as it has occurred while the young have migrated faster than ever to big cities in search of better jobs and services, leaving older relatives to fend for themselves in the provinces. Once the rule, inter-generational familieswith children, parents and grandparents all living under the same roofhave become a rarity. A lot of long-living, solitary folk thus now find themselves in desperate need of professional care.</p><p><a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2013/05/automation-elderly">Keep reading...</a></p>