The Role of Aesthetics in Elderly Care

In Japan’s super-aged society, there is an ongoing debate as to whether aesthetics can be used, along with medical and nursing care, as a means to support the health of elderly people. Some people understand aesthetics as the act of beautifying one’s appearance (e.g., using make-up) rather than maintaining one’s personal hygiene. It is widely known that external beauty has often been influenced by the collective values and the cultural and social trends of the time, and, in some cases, make-up and clothing have been regarded as detrimental to health. However, in a society where the ageing rate has been increasing so rapidly, it is no longer possible to face future challenges, such as the extension of healthy life expectancy, as advocated by the WHO, through medical and nursing care alone. Moreover, the meaning of health in societies enjoying longevity is shifting from the physical to the psychological and social aspects that may allow older people to enjoy a lively and fulfilling existence, and aesthetics, in this sense, is gaining recognition as a means to support health. In order to extend healthy life expectancy, it is important for the elderly to actively engage with society and prevent a decline in their level of independence, and, in this respect, aesthetics can play a key role in maintaining their involvement with local communities. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce a study on cosmetic interventions aimed at preventing dementia and frailty, two health issues often encountered in super-aged societies, and assess the role of aesthetics as a means to support health in elderly people. In addition, the authors introduce a specific area of study called “aesthetics and welfare,” which involves training beauty practitioners to extend healthy life expectancy. The authors propose a multifactorial intervention programme, utilising aesthetics as a means to promote social activities and interaction for the elderly.