人口老齡化爲亞洲企業帶來新機遇

As the rapid aging of Asia's population creates challenges for governments and societies, new opportunities are emerging for businesses serving the needs of the elderly and their caretakers.

亞洲地區人口迅速老齡化給政府和社會帶來了挑戰，但同時也爲企業帶來了服務老齡人口及其照料者的新機遇。

While population aging is a global phenomenon, the Asian-Pacific region is expected to see a particularly drastic demographic change over the next few decades. The number of elderly persons in the region-already home to more than half of the world's population aged 60 and over-is expected to triple to more than 1.2 billion by 2050, when one in four people in the region will be over 60 years old, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

儘管人口老齡化問題在全球普遍存在，但預計未來幾十年亞太地區的人口結構改變將尤爲明顯。根據聯合國亞太經濟及社會理事會(United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific)的數據，預計亞太地區老齡人口的數量到2050年將增長兩倍，到達12億以上，這意味着在該地區每四人中就有一人超過60歲。目前全世界超過一半的60歲以上人口居住在亞太地區。

Across Asia, large corporations and entrepreneurs in various industries are racing to come up with new products and services for the elderly, while health-care-related businesses are seeing soaring demand. Among various fields of health care for the elderly, nursing homes represent one of the fastest-growing sectors.

在整個亞洲，醫療保健相關企業面臨的市場需求激增，大型企業以及各行各業的企業家都在競相推出針對老齡人口的產品和服務。在老齡人口醫療保健領域，養老院的運營是增長最快的領域之一。

In Japan, companies that previously had little to do with the issue of aging have jumped on the bandwagon. In 2005, Watami Co., which operates Japanese-style izakaya pubs serving food and drinks, entered a new business of running nursing homes. In the most recent fiscal year, the nursing business was more profitable than its izakaya business. Demand for Watami's new business is robust because Japan's population is the world's grayest, according to a 2009 United Nation report, with nearly 30% aged 60 or older.

在日本，原本與老齡化問題壓根不沾邊的企業也紛紛進軍這一領域。2005年，經營提供餐飲服務的日式居酒屋的和民有限公司(Watami Co.)開始涉足養老院經營這一全新業務。在剛剛過去的財年，和民的養老院業務利潤超過了居酒屋業務。和民新業務的市場需求強勁，根據聯合國2009年的一份報告，日本人口老齡化程度超過全球任何其他國家，將近30%的人口已經達到60歲或60歲以上。

Other parts of Asia, such as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore, are also anticipating a surge in the percentage of elderly citizens. In China, people over the age of 60 now account for 13.3% of the country's population of 1.34 billion, up from 10.3% in 2000, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, and the aging trend is expected to accelerate.

據預計，亞洲其他地區，如中國大陸、臺灣、香港、韓國和新加坡的老齡人口比例也將迅速升高。根據中國國家統計局的數據，目前中國60歲以上人口占全國13.4億人口的13.3%，相比之下，2000年的這一比例爲10.3%。預計老齡化趨勢還將加快。

In January, China's state-run Xinhua news agency wrote about challenges facing nursing homes, saying 'there are simply not enough nurses or beds to accommodate the country's elderly population.'

今年1月，中國國有媒體新華社(Xinhua news agency)報道了養老院面臨的各種挑戰。報道說，與老齡人口的數量相比，中國的養老院和牀位的數量不足。

In March, Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said at a forum in Beijing that the country needs to take more steps to cope with a rapidly aging population in the years ahead.

今年3月，國際貨幣基金組織(IMF)總裁拉加德(Christine Lagarde)在北京的一個論壇上說，未來幾年中國要採取更多措施應對人口迅速老齡化的問題。

Despite varying levels of infrastructure and support from governments, the global market for nursing and health-care services continues to expand, and expectations are rising for businesses that might meet the growing demand.

儘管各國都配備了各種層級的基礎設施，各國政府也都給予了支持，養老和醫療服務的全球市場仍在擴大，人們越來越期待企業能滿足日益增長的養老和醫療服務需求。

Last month, IHH Healthcare Bhd., Asia's largest hospital operator by market value, staged a strong trading debut in Malaysia and Singapore, after raising US$2 billion in its initial public offering, the world's third-largest IPO this year.

上個月，亞洲市值最高的醫院運營商馬來西亞綜合保健控股有限公司(IHH Healthcare Bhd.)在馬來西亞和新加坡上市首日即表現強勁，首次公開募股(IPO)募集資金20億美元，成爲今年全球第三大IPO。

Analysts said that population aging in Asia and the rest of the world makes IHH a good long-term investment.

分析人士說，亞洲和世界其他地區人口老齡化的趨勢使馬來西亞綜合保健控股有限公司成爲一個不錯的長期投資選擇。

Given the opportunities in the market for hospitals and nursing homes, some technology entrepreneurs are focusing on products and services they could sell to health-care institutions.

鑑於醫院和養老院市場存在的種種機會，一些科技企業家開始專注開發能夠銷售給醫療保健機構的產品和服務。

Kevin Wong, an engineer from Guangzhou, China, has developed a new product that he thinks will appeal to nursing homes and hospitals. His Hong-Kong based start-up, Ckicom Technology Ltd., sells a disposable adult diaper equipped with a moisture sensor and a wireless system that sends wetness alerts to nursing-home workers via personal computers and mobile phones.

來自中國廣州的工程師Kevin Wong開發出一款他認爲會吸引養老院和醫院的新產品。他在香港的初創企業啓通科技有限公司(Ckicom Technology Ltd.)銷售一種一次性成人尿片，這種尿片配有溼度傳感器以及一個無線系統，可以通過個人電腦和手機向養老院護工發送尿溼程度警報。

A small clip-on sensor device attached to the diaper detects moisture through special carbon ink prints on the diaper's inner surface and sends the information wirelessly to PCs and mobile phones. The clip-on device isn't disposable.

夾在尿片上的一個小型傳感器設備通過尿片內側特殊的碳墨印記檢測尿溼程度，並通過無線方式將尿溼信息發送到電腦和手機上。傳感器不是一次性設備。

Each disposable diaper costs US$1.20 or less, and nursing homes also need to purchase or lease the wireless system including the clip-on devices. For a nursing home with 100 beds, for example, the system would likely cost US$5,000 to US$10,000, the company said.

每塊一次性尿片的成本在1.20美元或以下，養老院還需要購買或租用無線系統（包括夾在尿片上的設備）。該公司表示，對於一家擁有100個牀位的養老院來說，配置這樣一套系統可能要花費5,000至1萬美元。

Ckicom's CAREase diaper, one of the 12 finalists competing for The Wall Street Journal's Asian Innovation Awards, can detect wetness at three different levels, eliminating the need for workers to repeatedly check residents' diapers just to see whether they need to be replaced. 'It helps nursing homes upgrade their services,' Mr. Wong said.

啓通科技的護理適(CAREase)尿片可以檢測三種不同的尿溼程度，使護工不必反覆查看被護理人員的尿片以確定是否需要更換。Kevin Wong說，這有助於養老院提升自己的服務水平。啓通科技的護理適尿片是入圍《華爾街日報》“亞洲創新獎”(Asian Innovation Awards)的12件決賽作品之一。

Mr. Wong, 50 years old, came up with the idea of a wetness-sensing diaper for babies more than 30 years ago, during a classroom discussion at the South China Institute of Technology. He never pursued that idea and instead worked for much of the past three decades at a company that develops consumer-electronics products.

現年50歲的Kevin Wong 30多年前在華南理工大學的一次課堂討論上萌生了發明一款尿溼感應嬰兒尿片的想法。不過，當時他沒有將想法付諸於實踐，過去30年的大部分時間裏他在一家公司開發消費電子產品。

Five years ago, one of his college classmates, who lived in the U.S., called Mr. Wong and reminded him of the moisture-sensing diaper idea, which Mr. Wong himself had forgotten about. The friend said that nursing homes for the elderly would want such a diaper.

五年前，Kevin Wong住在美國的一位大學同學給他打電話，提醒他曾經萌生的尿溼感應尿片的想法。Kevin Wong自己倒是忘了這點。這位朋友說，養老院會用得上這樣一種尿片。

After conducting research for almost a year, Mr. Wong quit his job and started Ckicom in 2008 to develop the diaper in a project partially funded by the Hong Kong government.

經過了近一年的研究後，Kevin Wong辭職並於2008年創辦了啓通科技以研發感應尿片。該項目得到了香港政府的部分資金支持。

The challenge was to create a comfortable diaper that can accurately determine wetness levels, while keeping the cost reasonable, Mr. Wong said.

Kevin Wong說，我們面臨的挑戰是研發出一款舒適的尿片，既可以準確測定尿溼程度，同時又能保持合理的成本。

The potential market is growing, as Hong Kong expects the percentage of its population aged 65 and over to increase to 26% in 2036 from 12% in 2006, according to the Census and Statistics Department.

這一產品的潛在市場越來越大。香港政府統計處(Census and Statistics Department)的數據表明，預計65歲及以上人口在總人口中佔比將從2006年的12%上升至2036年的26%。

Five nursing homes in Hong Kong are now testing the CAREase diaper, while the company's Taiwanese distribution agent has recently received orders for 100,000 diapers.

香港有五家養老院正在測試護理適尿片，而該公司在臺灣的分銷代理機構最近接到10萬塊尿片的訂單。

Ckicom also has set up an office in Tokyo.

啓通科技還在東京設立了辦事處。

The closely held company forecasts revenue of about US$1 million in the current fiscal year through March.

這家少數人持股公司預計，在截至明年3月的當前這一財年其收入大約能達到100萬美元。

While Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan are its main markets for now, the company wants eventually to expand into the U.S. and Europe as well as mainland China, Mr. Wong said.

雖然香港、臺灣和日本目前是其主要市場，但Kevin Wong說該公司希望最終能將市場擴大到美國、歐洲以及中國內地。