#Japan #Tokyo #Home Healthcare #Vacan #Anpi Care

Vacan's Innovative Disaster SMS Safety Confirmation Service

Vacan, based in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, has officially initiated a social verification phase for its disaster SMS safety confirmation service, "Anpi Care," aimed specifically at home healthcare and nursing. This innovative service seeks to bridge the gap in safety communication amidst the growing occurrences of natural disasters.

The Need for Anpi Care: Ensuring Safety in Crisis

The recent uptick in natural disasters has underscored the need for effective safety measures for elderly and disabled individuals receiving home care. As of April 2024, it will be mandatory for visiting nursing service providers to develop a business continuity plan (BCP) and conduct necessary drills to respond to natural disasters and epidemics. This regulatory change highlights the urgent need for solutions that ensure effective safety assurance for vulnerable populations.

Traditionally, safety confirmations were reliant on manual telephone communications, assuming that healthcare professionals would gather at central facilities. However, this approach has proven inefficient for at-home users, leading to significant delays in information dissemination among facilities and increasing the burden on families and caregivers.

A recent survey targeting home healthcare professionals revealed that an overwhelming 78.9% expressed a lack of effective systems in place for prompt safety confirmations of all users. Moreover, 91.2% showed interest in a centralized management system involving multiple service providers, emphasizing a clear demand for technological innovation in this sector.

Features of Anpi Care

Anpi Care is designed to streamline the process of confirming the safety of at-home users during disasters through SMS notifications. The system ensures ease of use, allowing seamless communication without requiring complicated app installations or prior setups. With just their mobile number, users can send status updates to all relevant service providers using a single SMS message. Key features of Anpi Care include:

• - Mass SMS Notifications: Integrated with meteorological data, facilitating instant automated alerts and reminders.
• - User-Friendly Response Interface: Users can easily respond with 2-3 clicks, reducing response time.
• - Centralized Information Management: Consolidation of responses enables all involved service providers to have access to the user's safety status.
• - Real-Time Data Visualization: The system includes a management dashboard that allows services to monitor confirmation responses in real-time.
• - BCP Training Mode: Facilitates practice drills and response training.
• - Data Utilization: The system allows for CSV export to assist local governments in utilizing the data effectively.

Recruitment of Social Verification Members

Vacan is currently seeking social verification members among home care service providers, including visiting doctors, nursing staff, and care managers. Participation in the social verification phase is free of charge and can be initiated via the special website. Additionally, a complimentary online seminar will be organized to help stakeholders discuss and address safety confirmation within home care settings from a practical perspective.

For more information and to register, visit the special website: Vacan Anpi Care.

Future Prospects

Drawing on its extensive partnerships with over 300 local governments across Japan, Vacan aims to evolve the Anpi Care service into a comprehensive platform that links home healthcare providers with municipalities for seamless safety confirmations. This approach aims to improve the overall disaster response capabilities of community healthcare systems and ensure that vulnerable individuals receive the support they need during emergencies.

About Vacan

Founded in June 2016 and led by CEO Tsuyoshi Kawano, Vacan operates on a mission to "gently connect people and spaces with technology." The company is recognized as a J-Startup by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, reflecting its commitment to developing platforms that enhance urban living through AI-driven insights into crowd management and safety protocols.