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Background: With the rapid increase in the average age of society, the number of people with dementia has increased in Japan. Thus, the need to prevent dementia is greater, and prevention programs have been implemented throughout Japan. This study aims to evaluate both the short‐term and the long‐term effects of a dementia prevention program on physical and cognitive function in community‐dwelling elderly. Methods: Cognitive and physical assessments were carried out at baseline for a sample including 57 elderly participants. The participants underwent an intensive training program lasting for 2 h per week for 10 days. After the last period of training, the assessment performed was reapplied. The outcome measures used to establish effectiveness were a Mini‐Mental State Examination, Five Cognitive Tests, a Cognitive Function Instrument, a Timed Up & Go Test, a grip strength evaluation, a Geriatric Depression Scale, an EQ‐5D and a Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly. Participants were then divided randomly into two groups: a booster group and a non‐booster group. The booster group received booster training every 3 months after the intensive training period, whereas the non‐booster group did not. Both groups were monitored every 6 months for approximately two and a half years after baseline assessment. Results: The Mini‐Mental State Examination, the subtests of the Five Cognitive Tests (attention, memory, language and reasoning) and the Timed Up & Go Test revealed a significant improvement after intensive training. For most of the outcome measures, the booster training showed no additional significant improvements. Conclusions: In this study, intensive training had a short‐term positive effect. Although the effect of the booster training was not clear, the functions of the elderly participants were found to be maintained during a follow‐up assessment. The study findings recommend conducting intensive training for the community‐dwelling elderly without follow‐up training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Kobe project, which utilizes prospective data from the national health insurance system, focuses on early detection and preventive strategies through the Frail Kenshin health check-up program. Previous research has underscored the correlation between tooth loss and the decline in physical and cognitive functions. In this study, using Kobe project data, we examined the link between remaining teeth and long-term care needs in individuals aged 64-65 years, with primary and secondary objectives involving various health parameters and quality of life., Methods: We analyzed baseline data from a prospective study conducted alongside the Frail Check program for generally healthy individuals aged 64-65 years to examine the relationship between the number of remaining teeth and various health indicators. This study focused on citizens aged 64-65 years to identify those at risk of needing long-term care by the age of 65 years., Results: Data from 1,530 participants were obtained, excluding eight individuals for specific reasons. At the end of the follow-up period, 41 (2.7%) individuals required support and 15 (1.0%) needed long-term care alone. The data revealed a significant association between the number of remaining teeth and the need for long-term care or support, as demonstrated by the Cochran-Armitage trend test (p<0.001). Although trends were noted for nutrition and total Cognitive Functional Instrument Self scores, they did not reach statistical significance. Additionally, a decrease in the number of remaining teeth was significantly associated with worse European Quality of Life Five Dimensions (EQ-5D-5L) visual analog scale scores, mobility, and regular activities (p<0.001)., Conclusion: Tooth loss indicates the potential long-term care needs of older adults. Monitoring oral health is crucial for addressing care requirements., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Kakei et al.)

We report the activity of the initial-phase intensive support team for dementia in Kobe City. The severity of dementia of the people who received the support was moderate in two-thirds of them. It took more than one year for over 50% of the people to receive support from the initial identification of dementia to involvement by the support team. Approximately three- quarters of the individuals were admitted to long-term care services facilities after receiving the service provided by the support team. A diagnosis of dementia was obtained for only about half of the people. Although there are many issues regarding the support team, we concluded that this activity is very beneficial for dementia people and their families, and it should be extended everywhere in Japan.