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Research Managing Director

Area on Community Healthcare
Health problems due to aging are a major concern not limited to Japan. The issues of aging will also be common throughout Asia in the near future. From the perspective of comprehensive community health care, the Area of Community Healthcare is conducting research regarding oral functions such as ingestion (eating) and deglutition (swallowing), as well as articulation (speaking) which are all crucial issues for the quality of life of the elderly.
Our recent research extended into the following areas; (1) Development of a program to improve overall oral function based on an evaluation of the risk of dysphagia in the elderly and problems with their articulatory movement; (2) Diminished function of ingestion and deglutition and the risk of insuffi cient nutrition in longterm care facilities; (3) The relationship between the oral functions of the elderly in the community and their quality of life in terms of health; Community Healthcareand (4) Development of a check list for chewing ability that can be used during health and nutrition counseling. For the field surveys, we developed the Dysphagia Risk Assessment for the Communitydwelling Elderly (DRACE, see Chart), to evaluate the needs of treatment and rehabilitation for dysphagia among the elderly. Furthermore, we have utilized the outcomes of the research in related human resource development courses conducted by NIPH, and introduced our research findings to public health professionals.