Insights

MEDIVA supported the establishment of the “Fukuoka Dementia-Friendly Center”, which opened on 15th September 2023, and is currently responsible for its ongoing operations.
Fukuoka City is promoting “Fukuoka 100”, a project aimed at building a sustainable city for the era of 100-year life. As part of this initiative, the city launched the “Dementia-Friendly City Project” in 2018, aimed at fostering a community where people can continue to live safely and with dignity in familiar surroundings, even after developing dementia. The Fukuoka Dementia-Friendly Center serves as the central hub that brings together the activities of this project.

The overall operation of the Center is managed by MEDIVA’s Fukuoka Branch (located in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City). As a focal point for the community, the Center aims to:

1. Create opportunities for people with dementia to continue playing active roles in their communities;
2. Facilitate peer meetings and promote interaction among people with dementia, their families, companies, and other stakeholders;
3. Provide learning opportunities such as Humanitude® training courses and AR-based dementia experience programmes; and
4. Disseminate accessible information on dementia, including the latest knowledge and technologies, whilst hosting related events.

The interior design of the Center incorporates the principles of “Dementia-friendly design (1)”. MEDIVA was responsible for proposing, planning, designing, and supervising the interior, while a certified associate from the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) at the University of Stirling in the UK provided advice and conducted the certification review.
Consequently, the Center has been awarded the highest Gold certification under the University of Stirling DSDC’s dementia design framework—specifically the Environments for ageing and dementia design assessment toolkit (EADDAT). This marks the first time in Japan that a municipal facility has achieved this level of certification. The space has been thoroughly designed to be comfortable not only for people with dementia, but for everyone.
Consequently, the Center has been awarded the highest Gold certification under the University of Stirling DSDC’s dementia design framework—specifically the Environments for ageing and dementia design assessment toolkit (EADDAT). This marks the first time in Japan that a municipal facility has achieved this level of certification. The space has been thoroughly designed to be comfortable not only for people with dementia, but for everyone.

Location
2nd Floor, Fukuoka Health Promotion Center “AIREF”
2-5-1 Maizuru, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City

(1) The second edition of “Guidelines for Dementia-Friendly Design”, which were incorporated into the center’s interior design, was published in September 2023. Following the first edition, MEDIVA was commissioned to produce both editions, and for the second edition, versions were published in both the Japanese and English. The guidelines are available to download free of charge from the Fukuoka City website.