The 100-Year Life Era: To realize both healthy longevity and well-being

Abstract

　　 In the inevitable process of aging (long period of frailty and need for nursing care), it is certain to aim for healthy longevity, however we would also like the people to aim for “longevity with well-being”. This is why there are questions about whether the various administrative measures and support systems in the medical and welfare fields implemented both for healthcare maintenance and achievement of healthy longevity, really lead to the well-being (happiness and purpose in life) of people. In order to raise the level of healthcare approaches in Japan, it is now necessary to create new evidence, promote evidence-based policy making, and create communities through collaboration among industry, government, academia, and the private sector, including local residents.

　　To prevent and improve frailty, it is necessary not only to further strengthen the conventional viewpoint of cooperation among the fields of medicine, dentistry, and nutrition, but also to promote multi-faceted approaches from broad perspectives, including various social factors. In terms of sensory organ functions, vision (sense of sight), hearing, taste, and smell, represented by the five senses, these are essential for comprehensive maintenance of the quality of life (QOL). Among these functions, decline in visual and auditory functions can cause significant progression acceleration of frailty in older adults. In recent years, a decline in visual function with aging, or “Eye Frailty” has come to be recognized, and at the same time, the term “Hearing Frailty” has also been attracting attention. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have reported an association between hearing impairment and frailty. Further evidence is needed on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on hearing and the adverse effects of refraining from medical examinations seeking medical advice.

　　 Regular early screening and regular care of the sensory organs in older adults are extremely important for extending their healthy life expectancy and preventing dementia and frailty. This is because these issues are associated not only with the hearing level, but also directly with the activities of daily living and QOL. Therefore, a major question is how to devise a series of comprehensive and multifaceted approaches to counter frailty (such as physical, psychological/cognitive, and social) in each community. It is also essential to encourage volunteer activities by older residents and create (built) a series of receptacles (=infrastructure) stable infrastructure in the community for health promotion, prevention, and care. In Japan, the time has come to promote “community re-designing based on comprehensive knowledge” in order to realize healthy longevity, with an emphasis on wellbeing, in the 100-year life era.