高齢者における生活習慣変容の意義と限界一生活習慣病予防と介護予防の戦略を考える一

摘要

In Japan, the average life expectancy exceeds 80 years (79 years in men, 86 years in women in 2009), and elderly persons aged 65 years and older occupy more than 22 % of the population. According to the increase of the elderly population, the number of persons requiring care has inevitably increased. Under these circumstances, the long-term care insurance system started in 2000 in order to share nursing care costs for the elderly among the general public.There is a misconception that thorough implementation of lifestyle-related disease prevention will lead to care prevention. While prevention of lifestyle-related disease is undeniably important prevention of long-term care dependence or care prevention requires a different approach. For example, the major causes of death in those over 65 are neoplasm (cancer), heart disease and stoke. Although stroke remains a cause of long-term care dependence, the other major causes are frailty, fall and fracture, and dementia (these are called the "geriatric syndromes"). The prevention of these geriatric syndromes is the feature of care prevention. Therefore, prevention of long-term care dependence includes not only the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases but also extends widely to the geriatric syndromes.