R&D PROJECTS

Project Overview

The existing system to prevent isolation and loneliness is so insufficient that older people tend to become isolated

Social isolation and loneliness are risk factors for various physical and mental health outcomes, and the establishment of social systems that prevent social isolation and loneliness is an urgent issue. However, many people still feel lonely, and it is hard to say that our society and people well-understand such individuals. In addition, the number of Kodokushi (lonely death) among people in their 60s and older has been increasing every year and immediate countermeasures are needed.

Contributing to the primary prevention of social isolation and loneliness by setting up community (men’s/women’s) sheds in Japan

This project, called the “Citizen Support Project,” will a) set up community (men’s/women’s) sheds and b) test the effectiveness of community sheds in reducing social isolation and loneliness through developing a tool to easily visualize risks of social isolations (a social connection visualization tool). Community sheds are venues set up and run by locals and their friends to arrange and engage in activities such as woodworking, gardening, and chatting. Community sheds are commonly called men’s sheds overseas and they were originated in Australia. There are more than 3,700 sheds and 100,000 shedders (i.e., participants of community sheds) worldwide. This project sets up two community sheds, “Yoro-ya (寄郎屋)” in Mizukami Village, Kumamoto Prefecture, and “Pokke-Kotan (ポッケコタン)” in Sapporo City, Hokkaido, and aims to investigate whether community sheds function effectively as the primary prevention of social isolation and loneliness using surveys and experiments related to psychology/brain/health. Through this project, we will propose a vision of community sheds tailored for Japanese adults, leading to the creation of a system for the primary prevention of social isolation and loneliness.

Q&A

Please tell us more about the social vision this project aims to achieve for the primary prevention of social isolation and loneliness.

Our vision is to create a society where older people can find new meanings in their lives, make new friends, and stay active and healthy through activities through their participation in community sheds. Some life stage changes such as retirement make elderly vulnerable to social isolation. Community sheds are community venues where elderly can find new meaning in their lives and connections through various activities, which we believe will contribute to the primary prevention of isolation and loneliness.

What are the biggest challenges (bottlenecks) in achieving the social vision above?

In community sheds, rather than having the government or supporters offer programs, the local participants themselves take the lead, creating their own place, coordinating activities, and managing their shed. The initiative by local participants fosters attachment to the sheds and leads to the empowerment of the participants, which further shapes lively local communities and social connections. It is thus important to identify a way to design community sheds that fit the values, customs, and cultures of local communities. As a research project, it is important to conduct rigorous surveys to understand the impacts of community sheds. In the meantime, it is also important to make sure that researchers and research activities do not interfere with and bother local participants. Finding the right balance between them is a challenge.

Participating/Cooperating Institutions

• Mizukami Village, Kumamoto Prefecture, Sapporo Social Welfare Council, Social Welfare Council of Nishi-ku, Sapporo, Tohoku University, Kumamoto Health Science University, Hokkaido University, Nagasaki University, Nagoya University, Kochi University of Technology, Toyama Prefectural University, Sapporo Medical University, Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Kyoto Institute of Technology, University of Queensland, Griffith University, Nottingham Trent University, Heriot-Watt University, and others.

Report

• FY2022 Research and Development Report (Japanese) (PDF: 1037KB)

Project Website and Others

• Citizen Support Project for Preventing Social Isolation and Loneliness

Related Links

• Japan Community Sheds Association