老人会活動に組み込んだ健康体操教室の試み—認知症予防に配慮した体操

A health-care exercise class in a senior club : Exercise as dementia prevention

要旨：下関市K町では，介護予防の一環として健康増進を目的とした健康体操教室(以下，教室)を6ヵ月間月2回の割合で，老人会活動に組み込む形で開催した．この教室において筆者らは，運動器のみでなく前頭前野の注意機能にも着目し，認知症予防を兼ねた体操を実施した．その結果，教室終了時には開始時と比較してMini-Mental State Examinationの得点に向上傾向を認め，Frontal Assessment Battery at bedsideの得点に明らかな向上を認めた．また，参加者の健康意識及び認知機能への関心増加と健康体操の継続希望が認められたことから，我々が実施した教室は認知症予防を含む介護予防のための地域活動として有用であることが示唆された．

　This study investigates the effects of a six-month class focusing on health-care exercise in K-town in Shimonoseki. The class was part of the town's local senior club activities, and it was aimed at improving the elderlys' mental and physical health by conducting exercises not only for the body but also for the prefrontal cortex brain functions of cognition and perception in order to prevent dementia. Consequently, the participants in the class showed an improvement on both the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Frontal Assessment Battery at Bedside upon completion of the class. The results indicate the effectiveness of our Health-Care Exercise Classes. Furthermore, the participants learned the value of such classes in improving their physical and cognitive abilities, and are motivated to continue training themselves in such classes.