April, 2022
In March 2022, Eisai staff were privileged to provide a lesson to third-year students, who were about to graduate, in Meidai Junior High School (Bunkyo-ward, Tokyo) on dementia disease awareness.
Eisai and Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, where Eisai’s Head Office is located, concluded a “Community Building Partnership Agreement to Promote Local Dementia Support Initiatives for Dementia Patients and Their Families” in June 2015. Eisai has engaged in a variety of efforts, including the dementia examination project and disease awareness activities for dementia, to build a community that is easy to live in for people with dementia.
With aging of the population in Japan, Eisai designed this lesson by committing to contribute to build a community that enables people with dementia living in Bunkyo Ward to live with peace of mind. Eisai staff conducted the class with the hope that the students at Meidai Junior High School, who are expected to become residents supporting the local community in the future, would gain a proper understanding of dementia and learn how to interact appropriately with people living with dementia.
In the class, the students were encouraged to think proactively about how people with dementia feel or how they can interact appropriately with people with dementia, using the educational materials developed by Eisai for secondary school students, such as the educational DVD “Grandma is Here to Stay - What’s Dementia?”. The lecture by Eisai staff was not limited to explaining about dementia, but also discussed the process of new drug development and the importance of students learning at school with their own future careers in mind.
After the class, the students filled out a survey, expressed encouraging aspirations such as, “I will make use of this lesson and try to consider the feelings of people with dementia and act with compassion,” and “We will support the aging society in the future.” In addition, the students sent messages of support to Eisai, such as, “We look forward to Eisai’s development of new drugs for various diseases, including dementia.”
Under the hhc philosophy, Eisai will further strengthen its partnership with Bunkyo Ward and other local communities, continuing to contribute to build communities where people with dementia and their families can live safely and securely.