Research on support to live well with dementia and mild cogntive impairment

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K11432
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Dementia Care Research and Training Center (2021); National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology (2019-2020)
• Principal Investigator: Maki Yohko 社会福祉法人浴風会認知症介護研究・研修東京センター, 研究部, 研究員 (60642303)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 服部 英幸 国立研究開発法人国立長寿医療研究センター, 病院, 医師 (00298366)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 認知症 / 軽度認知障害 / エンパワメント / 幸福感 / 自己洞察

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Based on the case study of the group meeting interventions to empower self-management for persons with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia, it was suggested that self-management support might be effective at the stage when the person retained sufficient self-insight and awareness. The person with preserved self-insight could be willing to modify his behavior and sustain self-insight, while the person with diminished self-insight failed to recognize his own problems in the first place. However, this is a hypothesis based on the cases and needs to be verified. To summarize this study, co-beneficial relationship-based care was proposed in a perspective paper as a method to support persons with dementia to maintain and rebuild relationships with others.

Free Research Field

認知症

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

認知症の早期受診が推奨される一方、認知症の原因疾患の根本治療薬は未開発で、非薬物療法の進行予防の頑健なエビデンスの報告は無く、早期に受診をしても、進行予防の頑健なエビデンスに基づいた治療の提供は期待できず、診断告知により、本人の不安が増強される等のデメリットも指摘されている。認知症の早期診断・早期受診のメリットは、意思決定のできる段階で認知症とともにどのように生活をしていくのか、意思決定をしていくことにあり、そのための心理的サポートの提案・議論が求められていると考えられる。本研究では日常生活に焦点をあて、認知症がありながらもその人らしく生きていくことを支える提案を行った。