1. Who would be your target audience? Include age range, sex, ethnicity, etc., and your reason why you would target this specific group.
Target audience: Japanese men and women over 50 years old
According to this week's reading, the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease increases after age 65, and the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease is relatively higher in women due to their longer life expectancy than men (University of the People, n.d.). But there are ways to prevent Alzheimer's disease, regardless of gender, so educating people about these habits and encouraging them to adopt them before the risk increases is significant. Especially, Japanese people have the second-longest average life expectancy in the world, and the risk of Alzheimer's disease is relatively high, excluding racial factors (Worldometer, 2022).
2. How would you deliver your message and why would you pick this method?
In Japan, people usually take regular health checkups, so I will hold a lecture for those who have visited such health checkups and emphasize two main points to the audience, which will be explained in Part 3. Those health checkups are an opportunity for people to think about their health, so I think giving lectures at that time is effective in motivating them to take health actions that lead to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
3. What information do you feel like is the most important to share and why?
・The causes and risks of Alzheimer's disease
Lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and lack of exercise, as well as smoking and an unbalanced diet, can increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease (University of the People, n.d.). I will emphasize the importance of changing these bad habits starting in your 40s or 50s to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
In addition, the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease are accelerated by decreased interaction and communication with others (University of the People, n.d.). In particular, when children grow up, or get married and leave home, or reach retirement age, the opportunity to communicate of older people with other people decreases dramatically. I will encourage the audience to participate in community-level programs and events that work to prevent Alzheimer's disease, make more acquaintances and friends through those activities, and maintain contact with people before that time comes.
・The things they can do to prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease and how to make them habitual.
A decline in stimulating work and activity is highly associated with the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease (University of the People, n.d.). Therefore, I encourage the audience to develop brain-stimulating hobbies, such as reading, quizzes, and chess, starting in their 40s and 50s. However, this requires a certain level of education (Mortimer & Graves, 1993). Without education, the elderly can be illiterate and have difficulty thinking logically, which does not promote brain stimulation.
Moreover, age-related declines in vision or hearing and muscle strength often lead to decreased activity in older adults. Therefore, it is essential to prepare eyeglasses and hearing aids that meet the patient's needs daily, and to perform strength training to prevent falls and injuries regularly. There are some ways to help your audience get used to these habits. For example, I can say that they can participate in activities such as:
・Community Chess Club/Quiz Club
・Free meal consultation
・Exercises held every day at the community center
・Group tours for people over 60
By emphasizing these two points, I think I can motivate the audience to adopt those health behaviors that can help prevent Alzheimer's disease, and can also publicize various useful activities of the community.
Thank you guys!! (596 words)
References
Mortimer, J. A., & Graves, A. B. (1993). Education and other socioeconomic determinants of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. NEUROLOGY-MINNEAPOLIS-, 43, 39-39. Retrieved from https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/51737624/Education_and_other_socioeconomic_determ20170210-30860-173125g-libre.pdf?1486760246=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DEducation_and_other_socioeconomic_determ.pdf&Expires=1670397745&Signature=PEVAEl4BD17Va9BvGy7X4CHhdPzFGu0KzsBn45dO-w-2mMOdjBugANLfNhUJQiH0XwMpJTTcoofOqer~daLs6h5nAsQEm4ktXKjuSq6Hd-I2sfuxJQbn9Zia8WV6owMo1ge5dE6OmgweKlfCC6Gowd~Or452cexogAKB3Rdocui1tjk1alZ8hsgCv3MTxR2wT5vO276Q6y90iNW7Lx7AhAQ10ydcRcQZhFaQYRaVTucVeOUGxOiwF9A72-TlVtnV~ECrmX7O6ezyCgzvgZlKAJU2l35tP5oAibD6egHGrUd7oSy3-mwIJX~YmRn3qB-fuo6Zd7sp1xEXDs8n14bKlw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
University of the People. (n.d.). Unit 4: Neurologic Disorders & Diseases of the Eye and Ear. Retrieved from https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/1635094/mod_book/chapter/380169/HDUnit04WrittenLecture.pdf
Worldometer. (2022). Life expectancy of the World Population. Retrieved from https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-expectancy/
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