Japan: 'Lonely Deaths' Rise Among Unemployed, Elderly

FTA: <i>Several hundred years ago, the Japanese witnessed death regularly, with bodies buried by family members and samurai displaying severed heads in public. These days, such moments are rare.</i><p>Indeed, it is a crying shame that displaying severed heads in public has become so rare. Seriously though, can't Time magazine do a slightly better job editing?

This is not just in Japan. During heat waves, as observed for example in France (<a href="http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=5006569197" rel="nofollow">http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=5006569197</a>) and Chicago (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heat-Wave-Autopsy-Disaster-Illinois/dp/0226443221" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Heat-Wave-Autopsy-Disaster-Illinois/dp...</a>), death tends to strike the socially isolated.

Since there are so many system monitors built, can we build something of a human monitor? A device that can detect motion like the IPhone/IPod/IPad. Once it's not moved for a long time, like a day (allowance for sleep), it would transmit a signal to a center and someone can call back in to check. It can be worn around the neck.