Super-Aged Society and Dementia: Community-Based Integrated Management Strategies Learned from the Kobe Project

In Korea, which is expected to enter a super-aged society by 2025, the proportion of the elderly population is rapidly increasing owing to the aging of baby boomers, which is expected to lead to an increase in the dementia population. In Japan, Kobe City promoted various studies and policies to create a dementia-friendly community through the ‘Kobe Project,’ with the aims of dementia prevention and early intervention. Therefore, this study aims to discuss the tasks of the super-aged society in Korea and seek countermeasures through the Kobe Project, which alleviated the social burden of the super-aged society. Korea provides long-term and customized care services for the elderly in need of care and is strengthening medical and care services by introducing the National Dementia Responsibility System in 2017. However, policies for relieving accidents and victims caused by dementia are insufficient. Kobe City, Japan, in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Kobe University, conducted the ‘Kobe Project’ for approximately 80,000 elderly individuals in their 70s or older. The Kobe Project first examines the relationship between caring risks by evaluating whether the elderly have cognitive decline. Second, it explores the effectiveness of cognitive decline interventions for high-risk groups of dementia, including dementia prevention education and cognitive training. Third, the Kobe Project presents a regional model that realizes early detection and intervention for dementia. Fourth, it suggests an accident relief system plan for accidents caused by dementia patients that are not resolved within the existing social security area. The Kobe Project is evaluated as an exemplary case of dementia management and is used as a policy model in other regions of Japan and around the world. The Kobe Project is an example of strengthening the institutional safety net and establishing a dementia-friendly environment with an integrated community-based management model that protects both patients with dementia and victims. Dementia is no longer a problem only for individuals and families; it is time to develop effective countermeasures through cooperation between the state, local governments, and members of society.