Stephen Johnston's blog
Can an exchange program change a country? In Japan’s case, it seems the answer is a resounding yes. In the dying days of the last Shogun era of Japan, a group of elders in Chōshū (what is now Yamaguchi Prefecture) picked five of their most promising Samurais and smuggled them out of the country (foreign […]
Homelessness among older adults is increasing and the two concepts are connected in many ways. What is less obvious is the ways in which interventions in one area can have unintended consequences in other areas. Homelessness in older adults is increasing. There’s been a 39% increase in homelessness among older people in the UK over […]
Could we change the way we think about, and provide, care in our towns and communities – away from today’s siloes and towards more joined up experiences? And redesign things around people rather than buildings, bureaucratic boundaries or profit centres? That was the question I posed to delegates of the British Columbia Seniors Living annual […]
On my panel today at SXSW, Cities Harnessing the Longevity Dividend, I’m going to appeal to cities to work with startups to address the challenges of their older populations, and intergenerational societies more broadly. This isn’t a big leap – over 600 cities and communities are already developing novel strategies for aging, as part of […]
Wrote this article recently for the California Association of Assisted Living’s magazine – News and Views, about 10 tips for partnering with startups. Was written from the perspective of the senior living industry, but it’s fairly relevant for all sectors. Quick summary here, and more in the link. Clearly articulate the problem Get buy-in from […]
While there is a lot of excitement about new gadgets and solutions in the ‘age-tech’ space (with good reason, we all love shiny, new gadgets), one area that has received less attention is business model innovation. However, as the US health care system evolves towards ACOs, capped and value-based-payments, innovative business models are becoming increasingly […]