part 2: preventive innovative methods
Keep Fit with Karaoke for the Elderly
<Summary>
The aging of Japan’s society is unprecedented. With this rapid aging, serious problems, such as the shrinkage of the workforce and increasing expenditure on social security, have arisen. To aid this super-aging society, a karaoke system has been developed to assist in the preventive care and health maintenance of elderly people. Called the DK Elder System, this karaoke system offers various kinds of music chosen and developed to facilitate body movement and visualization, and to encourage enjoyment of health-promotion programs—called music fitness sessions. In joint research conducted over the last four years with Dai-ichi Kosho Co. Ltd., brain performance testing of participants has confirmed improvement in quality of life and brain activation. In this article, we will describe the development of the DK Elder system and verify the effectiveness of a music fitness program employing the system in helping metropolitan area residents create community groups through which they can develop social relationships, as well as health and fitness.
