Background
age-associated declines
As the global population rises, the percentage of those aged 65 years and older (the aging rate) has increased markedly. The global aging rate was 5.1% in 1950 but is expected to increase to 17.8% by 2060 [The definition and concept of “frailty” differ from country to country, but in Japan, the term indicates “a state in which a person experiences a decline in the ability to recover from stress due to age-associated declines in reserve capacity” [What they have in common is the fact that frailty is described as a state somewhere between healthy and in need of nursing care. According to a systematic review conducted outside Japan, the frailty rate among community-dwelling people aged 65 years and older is 9.9%, this percentage increases with increased age, and more women than men are prone to frailty [In terms of what community pharmacies can do in the effort to create comprehensive community care systems, based on the “Pharmacy Vision for Patients” produced by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan in October 2015 [Thus, the present study was an investigation of whether or not the muscle mass of patients increased as a result of the promotion of daily exercise by providing them with simple information on frailty prevention measures every time they received guidance on taking medication from a community pharmacist. The patients were aged between 70 and 79 years who suffered from chronic conditions and who utilized the services of 11 community pharmacies operated by the General Incorporated Association Osaka Pharma Plan. The study investigated whether it was possible for community pharmacies to provide support for the purpose of maintaining the functions of older persons.