Services for cognitive health co-created with older adults

Abstract

In super aged society, healthy older adults are expected to serve as service providers rather than receivers. Through participation of healthy older adults to cognitive health research, the results are expected to be practical for use in daily life. We have been conducting participatory research towards society without preventable dementia. At first, older adults are participants of the service for cognitive health so as to prevent cognitive decline and dementia. Then, some of the participants become providers of the services by participating the research on the service. The key technology for the service is named Coimagination method, which is designed for the active use of cognitive functions through interactive conversation. The platform for this participatory research was founded, whose name is Fonobono Research Institute (FRI). Healthy older adults affiliated with FRI have been engaged in the research through designing, providing, and improving services. This paper reports the designed services and major findings through practices.