[Eiwa System Management x Saga University] Launch of Demonstration Experiment for 'Irodori + Button,' a Community Monitoring Service to Prevent Solitary Deaths Among the Elderly

Eiwa System Management Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tonya-cho, Fukui City; President: Kenji Hiranabe; hereinafter 'Eiwa System Management'), in joint research with a research group from the Faculty of Medicine at Saga University (hereinafter 'Saga University'), has developed 'Irodori + Button,' a community monitoring service to prevent solitary deaths among the elderly. As the first step toward the social implementation of this service, a demonstration experiment will begin on Sunday, April 5, 2026, for approximately 6 months at the Saga Prefectural Johoku Housing Complex (Takagise-machi, Saga City).

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■ Background and History Currently, the number of elderly people living alone is rapidly increasing in Japan. According to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (*1), the number of elderly individuals living alone is projected to increase from 7.38 million in 2020 to 10.83 million by 2050. There are concerns that 'solitary death'—where discovery is delayed even if one falls ill at home, leading to death without anyone present—will become an even more serious social problem in the future.

To prevent such solitary deaths, it is important to have a mechanism for subtly monitoring and being monitored within daily connections with local residents. 'Wouldn't it bring mutual peace of mind if individuals could let their supporters know they are doing well every day simply by pressing a button?' From this idea, the planning of a monitoring service utilizing a button began as part of Eiwa System Management's 'Sakinokoto' project.

During the research process, they discovered the existence of Saga University's 'Push Button Project' (https://hope8pa9fs.wixsite.com/mysite), which shared the same aspirations and provided a 'Good Morning Button' from the medical field. Triggered by a contact made to the Saga University research team in June 2025, an industry-academia joint research framework was established, in which Eiwa System Management provides the community monitoring service 'Irodori + Button' and Saga University is responsible for analyzing and researching the operational data.

■ Features of 'Irodori + Button' 'Irodori + Button' is a service where elderly users notify local supporters of their 'wellness' by proactively pressing a button every day. It delivers 'peace of mind from being monitored' to the users and 'peace of mind from confirming safety' to the supporters, realizing community building where everyone can live securely.

<Button placed in the user's home> When the button is pressed, it lights up in various colors.

<Usage Image> 1. When the user presses the button, a notification is sent to the supporter. 2. Supporters can check the daily button-pressing status via a dedicated web app.