Evaluation of a dementia prevention program to improve health and social care and promote human rights among older adults

Purpose This study aims to evaluate a human rights-informed dementia prevention program promoting better health and social care among older adults. In this study, the authors examined whether a dual-task training would improve cognition in healthy older adults. Design/methodology/approach Individuals attending the systematic health education program for older adults based in Japan were recruited for study inclusion, and divided into a dual-task training group (TG) and a control group (CG). The TG underwent 90 min of a weekly dual-task training for 12 weeks. Severity of dementia was measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test. Brain function was assessed using a go/no-go task paradigm, during which cerebral blood flow was additionally measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy to quantify oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb). Findings MMSE total score, number of errors in the go/no-go tasks and oxy-Hb values showed significant improvements in the TG. Research limitations/implications Owing to the small number of participants allocated to the CG, the results must be interpreted with caution. Replication and further validation based on large-scale, randomized-controlled trials is warranted. Practical implications This study highlights potential benefits of incorporating an early prevention training for dementia into a human rights-friendly health education program. Social implications This study suggests a potential means to reduce costs of social security and health care by introducing a human rights-informed dementia prevention program. Originality/value The results suggest that dual-task training may improve cognitive function in healthy older adults, thereby contributing to better health and improvement of social health care, based on a human rights-informed health education program for the prevention of dementia.