Published Date: July 27, 2023

Effective Initiatives Aiming to Enhance Social Impact

With the progression of a super-aging society, it is anticipated that, without intervention, the number of dementia patients will increase. In 2014, the social cost of dementia reached 14.514 trillion yen, and it is estimated to rise to 24.263 trillion yen by 2060. This increase is expected to lead to a decline in the quality of life (QOL) for both dementia patients and their families who struggle with caregiving.

However, research has shown that more than 40% of the modifiable risk factors for dementia can be reduced through lifestyle improvements. By implementing early prevention and early treatment, it is possible to delay the onset of dementia or prevent it altogether. The challenge now is how to effectively implement early prevention and treatment in society.

CogSmart aims to address this challenge by implementing early prevention and treatment methods for dementia into society, with the following ultimate goals:

- (a) Reduction in the number of dementia patients

- (b) Decrease in dementia-related costs

- (c) Improvement in quality of life (QOL)

Who Are the Beneficiaries of CogSmart's Services?

The primary beneficiaries of CogSmart's services include the following:

1. Individuals aged 40 and over, from healthy individuals to those in the early stages of dementia or with mild cognitive impairment (MCI)

2. Families of the above individuals

3. Central and local governments (involved in healthcare and long-term care budgets)

For these beneficiaries, we aim to bring about the following changes:

1. Reduction in the number of dementia patients and those requiring long-term care, improvement in life satisfaction, self-esteem, and health

2. Reduction in the mental, physical, and time-related burdens of caregiving, smoother communication with doctors and patients

3. Decrease in societal costs, including healthcare, long-term care, and informal care costs

Specific Business Activities

Our business activities are broadly categorized into the following two areas:

1. BrainSuite (BS)

BrainSuite provides early dementia risk assessment by measuring brain atrophy levels through AI analysis of MRI images taken during brain health checkups.

2. BrainUp (BU)

BrainUp is an application that promotes behavior change towards lifestyle improvements, such as aerobic exercise, and is used in conjunction with general-purpose wearable devices.

By leveraging existing markets and devices, these initiatives aim to broadly implement early prevention in society. Both BS and BU have been clinically validated to demonstrate their effectiveness.

Development and Publication of the Impact Logic Model

At CogSmart, we have developed and published the BS and BU Impact Logic Models, which clarify the evaluation methods and indicators for assessing the outcomes of BS and BU activities and outputs.

[Link: BrainSuite (BS) & BrainUp (BU) Impact Logic Model]

Various outcomes are set based on existing research, with the cooperation of Tohoku University, particularly evaluating the effect sizes related to (a) reduction in the number of dementia patients, (b) reduction in dementia-related costs, and (c) improvement in QOL.