C1 T11: Reasoning and evidence

Dementia itself is a blanket term that describes several conditions including a decline in thinking skills, memory loss, and altered behavior, feelings and relationships. In contrast, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and occurs in 10% of people over the age of 65(1). What makes this even more troubling is the proverbial “Silver Tsunami” which lays on the horizon. The “Silver Tsunami” refers to the ever-growing swell of adults over 55 in many developed countries as a result of improved life expectancy. Riding with this wave are the 82 million people worldwide which are expected to be diagnosed with dementia by 2030 and 152 million by 2050.

Dementia itself is a blanket term that describes several conditions including a decline in thinking skills, memory loss, and altered behavior, feelings and relationships. In contrast, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and occurs in 10% of people over the age of 65(1). What makes this even more troubling is the proverbial “Silver Tsunami” which lays on the horizon. The “Silver Tsunami” refers to the ever-growing swell of adults over 55 in many developed countries as a result of improved life expectancy. Riding with this wave are the 82 million people worldwide which are expected to be diagnosed with dementia by 2030 and 152 million by 2050.

Japan has long had a large population for its land area, especially since the Baby Boom following World War II. This is particularly true in Japan’s cities. For example, according to a 2010 census, the metropolitan Tokyo-Yokohama area has an estimated 35 million residents. The population of the entire country is roughly 128 million. Tokyo-Yokohama is considered the most populous urban center in the world. Some Japanese cultural traditions have been attributed to such crowding. For example, the Japanese people use very formal behaviors like bowing, and use very formal language during social interactions. One theory is that this formality, at least in part, is a means of creating psychological distance and space between individuals, as sufficient physical space is lacking. The expression “too close for comfort” may aptly describe the situation in Japan’s most crowded cities, and this physical proximity is offset by reducing social closeness