Frailty is an intermediate state between a healthy state and a state requiring long-term care, and refers to a state in which physical and cognitive functions decline. Due to the self-restraint of the corona misfortune, frailty is expanding rapidly, but the reality and risks are still not widely known. Professor Emeritus Kumagai of Kyushu University has derived countermeasure methods and evidence through frailty epidemiological research. The first half will focus on correctly recognizing frailty, and the second half will touch on anti-frailty digital solutions that transcend the barriers of time and space.
(From left: Macnica Nishimura, Kyushu University's Kumagai, Macnica Kaori)
Macnica 's attempt based on the guidance of top runners in frailty research
According to an announcement by the Cabinet Office, Japan has a total population of 125.71 million people (2021), with 36.19 million people aged 65 and over, accounting for 28.8% of the total population (aging rate).
Going forward, as the total population declines, the aging rate will continue to rise, reaching 33.3% in 2036 and 38.4% in 2065.
Given this situation, there is a need for local governments, medical institutions, and other institutions to provide guidance on how to maintain health throughout the country, starting from around 60 years of age, not just 65 years of age. There are also great expectations for the advancement of technology in the healthcare field that supports this.
Macnica believes that there are budding business opportunities in solving social issues, and is expanding into the healthcare field. In particular, regarding solutions for the elderly, we have teamed up with Professor Shuzo Kumagai, Professor Emeritus of Kyushu University, who is a top runner in the field of epidemiological research on frailty, and have started a new initiative.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare defines frailty as ``a condition in which physical and mental function and social connections become weaker with age,'' and is promoting a ``frailty prevention project for the elderly.'' Frailty is considered to be a stage before the need for nursing care, and if left untreated, it will be extremely difficult to return to a healthy state. The initial stage of frailty caused by aging or other factors is called "pre-frailty," and it is important to understand the condition early and make lifestyle improvements such as exercise and diet during the pre-frailty stage.
Dr. Kumagai has conducted epidemiological surveys on frailty in Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Sasaguri Town, Kasuya District, Fukuoka Prefecture, and multiple local governments nationwide. As one of the results, we developed the Simple Frailty Check Sheet (FFPQ). This sheet has been reduced from 25 items used to determine frailty to 6 items while maintaining effectiveness.
The Simple Frailty Check Sheet was created based on epidemiological evidence from steady research by Dr. Kumagai's group. Reduction from 25 items to 6 items has been shown to accurately perform frailty assessment in older adults aged 65-74 years.
Reducing the number of items to 6 makes it easier to try out the check sheet, cuts down on research time, and collects data efficiently. Furthermore, the burden can be reduced even more when data is converted and analyzed.
Frailty can be prevented with early detection and exercise
Dr. Kumagai's research targets thousands of elderly people, and over a period of 6 to 9 years, he not only simply collects data, but also actually gives the subjects exercise guidance, etc. It also contributes to the health maintenance of many elderly people.
Research conducted so far has shown that frailty is a risk factor for the rate of certified long-term care needs, and that continuing moderate to high-intensity physical activity (exercise that makes you feel slightly out of breath) reduces the risk of developing frailty. I know it's very likely. In other words, if it is possible to determine whether a person is frail or not, the risk of being certified as needing long-term care can be reduced, which will lead to the prevention of an increase in social costs related to long-term care and a decline in the QOL of the elderly.
Furthermore, physical fitness and motor function have been found to be risk factors for all-cause mortality and the onset of dementia. It has been found to reduce various risks of
According to Dr. Kumagai, surveys to date show that nearly half of the elderly are in a state of frailty or pre-frailty. However, a survey of people aged 65 to 75 found that 40 to 50% of people were able to escape from frailty through exercise guidance.
Exercise to improve frailty during COVID-19
Exercise guidance has a great effect on improving frailty, which is a risk factor for the rate of certification for long-term care. However, in the corona misfortune, we need ingenuity in the teaching method.
According to Dr. Kumagai's research on the corona wreck, the rate of frailty in people infected with the COVID-19 is 45%. In other words, one in two elderly people infected with the COVID-19 will become frail.
In order to prevent this, even during the corona crisis, it is necessary to take infection control measures and provide guidance on frailty prevention. Dr. Kumagai's group has set up a "SAVE model for suppressing the progression of frailty in the corona crisis" and formulated guidelines for creating an environment where the elderly can continue to exercise.
In order to put this model into practice, an environment for "remote instruction" using ICT is essential. In addition, whether it is face-to-face or remote, a monitoring system is required not only for the day of instruction, but also for continued exercise. Ultimately, it will be necessary to create an environment where people are not socially isolated and do not get infected with the coronavirus, by using a variety of measuring devices and sensors to understand the state of people when they are not exercising.
Dr. Kumagai's research has shown that daily exercise is effective in preventing the aggravation of corona infection, and the monitoring environment using ICT and the data collection and analysis environment for public health will become increasingly important in the future. It will increase.
Creating an environment that does not impair the QOL of the elderly and their families
In order to maintain the QOL of the elderly and their families, it is important to take measures against the corona crisis, but it is also important to reduce anxiety and pain in daily life and increase the time that the elderly can be independent. Dr. Kumagai points out that frailty countermeasures will greatly respond to these needs.
"By systematizing and remoteizing the cycle of frailty checks, exercise intervention/guidance, and frailty rechecks, we will be able to strengthen specific support for the elderly, and at the same time, accumulate various data to generate new knowledge. can greatly increase the possibility of creating
To establish such a system, the cooperation of local governments is essential. In order to acquire and analyze a large amount of sensitive information such as health conditions, it is essential for each local government to use an environment that makes it easy to understand frailty. In addition, if the corona wreck is calm, face-to-face guidance may be prioritized over remote guidance, but it is expected that a severe infection situation will occur nationwide again in the future. Even in such a situation, we need an environment in which the elderly can promote their health without being influenced by the external environment, and it should also be a means to prevent the spread of infection.
Macnica 's frailty prevention service
Macnica 's frailty prevention service provides an initial screening service free of charge, and we believe it can make a significant contribution to creating this environment.
By enabling public institutions such as local governments to easily identify frailty, Dr. Kumagai, together with local businesses such as gyms and nursing care facilities, will be able to implement ``exercise intervention/guidance and rechecks for frailty'' after the initial diagnosis, as envisioned by Dr. Kumagai. By testing athletic ability and measuring effectiveness, it becomes possible to collect and analyze more extensive and detailed data.
Macnica is looking for partners who can work with Macnica to provide exercise intervention, guidance, and frailty rechecks, along with local governments that use the free service.
As mentioned above, frailty prevention has the potential to bring about a paradigm shift in the traditional nursing care business. Until now, many elderly people whose problems were not discovered until they were certified as requiring long-term care, and who were unable to make progress in improving their lives, are now able to recover and live independently through the concept of frailty, before they become irreversibly dependent on long-term care. This is because the number of people is increasing.
In addition, if Macnica participates in this initiative in the future, it will be possible to collect and manage vast amounts of data at low cost, and quickly analyze it, making it possible to use medical approaches with solid evidence. If this trend is established, effective guidance will soon be implemented at medical institutions and nursing care facilities, and elderly people themselves will be more likely to take on the challenge.
Click here for details of frailty prevention services
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