[Current issues in access to care services for the elderly in Japan focusing on special permanent residents and foreign-born Japanese: A report by the Monitoring Report Committee of the Japanese Society of Public Health].

　Japan is currently one of the countries with a long life expectancy, in which a great number of older people need care for their daily living. Japan has become increasingly internationalized due to an increase in foreigners and international marriages. As the number of elderly foreigners and foreign-born Japanese increase, older adults who do not use Japanese as their first language will need more opportunities to receive care.

[Methods of coping with musculoskeletal pain among community-dwelling elderly individuals].

Objectives　Musculoskeletal pain impairs vital function and results in a requirement for long-term care. According to studies in other countries, a program that aims at reducing pain through instructions for pain-coping should be implemented. In Japan, a study on pain-coping has recently been initiated; however, the methods of coping with pain that are implemented by community-dwelling elderly individuals have not been evaluated.

Risk factors of functional disability among community-dwelling elderly people by household in Japan: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Although the number of elderly people needing care is increasing rapidly in the home setting in Japan, family size and ability to provide such support are declining. The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors of functional disability by household composition among community-dwelling elderly people.

Methods: A total of 1347 elderly people aged 70 years and over participated in a baseline geriatric health examination for this prospective cohort study.

The predictive power of physical function assessed by questionnaire and physical performance measures for subsequent disability.

Background And Aims: To compare the predictive power of physical function assessed by questionnaire and physical performance measures for subsequent disability in community-dwelling elderly persons.

Methods: Prospective cohort study. Participants were 813 aged 70 years and older, elderly Japanese residing in the community, included in the Tsurugaya Project, who were not disabled at the baseline in 2003.

[Relationships between participation in community activities and psychosocial and physical health of community-dwelling elderly].

Objective: The aim of this study was to clarify relationships between participation in community activities and psychosocial and physical health of community-dwelling elderly.

Methods: The participants of the present study were 413 people selected on the basis of a random 1/3 extraction of people aged 65 or older and living in a rural community in Miyagi prefecture. The baseline survey was conducted in February 2008.

The development of a Tai Chi exercise regimen for the prevention of conditions requiring long-term care in Japan.

This study was to examine an effect of such an exercise program on preventing conditions requiring long-term care in the Japanese frail elderly who participated in a Tai Chi Yuttari-exercise program. The first-intervention group underwent an intervention program by participating in a Tai Chi Yuttari-exercise session once a week for 3 months. Each session lasted 90 min including a break time.

Effect of exercise, aging and functional capacity on acute secretory immunoglobulin A response in elderly people over 75 years of age.

Background: Age-associated decline in immune function and regulation, referred to as immunosenescence, brings about an increased incidence of infectious diseases in the aged; however, there are few data on the effect of aging and exercise on mucosal immune function in elderly people. Moreover, there is no evidence on whether the change in functional capacity affects mucosal immunity in elderly people. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of exercise, aging and functional capacity on mucosal immune function in elderly people over 75 years of age.

[Relationships between volunteerism and social-physical health and QOL with community-dwelling elderly participating in a long-term care prevention programme].

Objective: The aim of this study was to clarify the influence of volunteerism as part of a long-term care prevention program on social and physical health indicators and QOL, as compared with non-participation among elderly people.

Methods: The baseline survey was conducted in 2003 among elderly people (age, 70-84 years) living in a rural community in Miyagi Prefecture. We recruited elderly volunteer leaders for long-term care prevention from among the 1,503 elderly people participating in the baseline survey.

[Production of a fall prevention exercise programme considering suggestions from community-dwelling elderly].

Objectives: A fall prevention exercise programme, which elderly persons could undertake in their home alone to maintain and improve leg muscle strength, body balance ability and flexibility, was developed. The programme consisted of number of movements from which the best were selected on the basis of participant evaluation. The purpose of this report is to document the actual contents and an examination of the effects of this exercise programme in elderly people.

[Characteristics of elderly leaders volunteering to participate in a fall prevention programme].

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess characteristics of elderly leaders volunteering to participate in a fall prevention programme.

Methods: We surveyed 1,503 individuals (75 elderly leaders volunteering to participate in a fall prevention programme and 1,428 non-leader elderly) among the elderly population living in a rural community, Miyagi Prefecture. Subjects were aged 70-84 years.

[Effect of elapsed time after standing up on orthostatic blood pressure change in the elderly].

The effect of time elapsed after standing on the orthostatic change in blood pressure was investigated. The study subjects were recruited from 237 community-dwelling elderly residents free from any history of cardiovascular disease and not on medication. Basal blood pressure was determined by averaging two determinations of supine blood pressure measured with an automatic oscillometric blood pressure recorder after resting for more than 10 minutes.