ME-BYO Centers in Zushi City Hall and Zushi Arena
Summary
In 2016, Zushi City launched two ME-BYO Centers to improve residents’ health and prevent their care-dependency. One Centre is located on the first floor of the City Hall and the other is in “Zushi Arena,” City’s sports facility.
“ME-BYO” is a concept which does not consider health and sickness as two clearly separable conditions. Rather, the physical and mental condition is deemed to be continuously changing between health and sickness, and “ME-BYO” is the concept that covers the entire process of this change.
At the Center in the City Hall, visitors can check their health status and measure their physical fitness level using various easy-to-use devices, and based on the results, they can receive advice and information in a counselling space from either a public health nurse or a registered dietitian who is stationed at all times. Many people use this opportunity to ask about their concerns on dietary habits, exercises, nursing care, and mental issues. People who happen to come to the City Hall to get their resident certificates or those who wait for the city’s welfare bus service also usually visit the ME-BYO Center in the City Hall.
When people are advised to do more exercise during their personal counseling session, they are recommended to go to the ME-BYO Center in Zushi Arena, where they have access to exercise programmes. Many have started to use the Center to work out. In this way, two ME-BYO Centers coordinate with each other to improve residents’ ME-BYO status.
Key facts
Main target group: Older people in general
Other target group(s): Adolescents and late middle-aged people in general
Sector(s): Education, Health, Information and communication
Desired outcome for older people:
Meet their basic needs
- Accessibility
- Dementia
- Healthy behaviours (e.g. physical activity)
- Intergenerational activities
- Inclusion
- Participation