CBSI as a Social Innovation to Promote the Health of Older People in Japan

In this paper, we introduce a concept called community-based social innovation (CBSI). CBSI programs have been introduced to improve the physical and psychological well-being of older people. CBSI programs encourage older people to (1) take care of themselves and their peers, (2) sustain their well-being, and (3) create a cohesive and inclusive community. Although the emergence of CBSI programs is a global phenomenon, the variations, effectiveness, and sustainability of these programs are unknown. To uncover information about the Japanese version of CBSI programs, we conducted observations and face-to-face interviews with related personnel at two CBSI programs in rural areas of Japan in 2018. We found both positive and negative aspects in the current form of CBSI programs. As for the positives, these programs promote older people’s physical and psychological well-being and enhance community cohesiveness. However, CBSI programs face challenges, including that groups tend to be gender and age specific: men and the younger-old are less likely to show interest. A group-specific approach to CBSI programs could cause future community division, which would be contrary to the goal. Given the continued advancement of the aging population, a new approach to participant recruitment is needed.