Digitally Inclusive Healthy Ageing Communities (DIHAC) team hosted the visit of Singapore collaborator Ms. Karen Wee, the Executive Director at Lions Befrienders Service from Singapore on 8th May 2023. Ms Karen Wee observed community-based healthy ageing exercise activity in a community in Tokyo. She also joined the care prevention exercise activities together with DIHAC study Principal Investigator (PI), Associate Professor Myo Nyein Aung, CO-PI Dr Yuka Koyanagi, community volunteer leaders and community members.

Photo 1: DIHAC study team, CO-PI Dr. Yuka Koyanagi (Japan), Karen Wee, the Executive Director at Lions Befrienders Service from Singapore. participating community group exercise in Tokyo

Photo2: ( From the right) Executive director Karen, community group exercise leader Kawamura San, DIHAC CO-PI Dr Yuka Koyanagi and community event organizer Nagashima San

 DIHAC team and Ms. Karen Wee discussed current activities and projects of LB in Singapore, the trends in healthcare, social welfare service and healthy ageing in Singapore, as well as digital policy and the role of digital technology for healthy ageing. Dr. Yuka Koyanagi and Associate Professor Myo Nyein Aung provided updates on regular transdisciplinary DIHAC meetings and progress, field research plan in Singapore and plan to further advance the cross-cultural exchange for digital inclusion and healthy ageing in Japan, Singapore, Korea and Thailand in 2023-2024

Photo 3: (From the right) Associate Professor Myo Nyein Aung, and Executive Director Karen Wee together with community volunteer group exercise leader and members.

 In the afternoon, Karen had a meeting with PI Associate Professor Myo Nyein Aung and Mr. Hiromichi Matsumoto, community engagement adviser of DIHAC study and Managing Director, Tokyo Seibu Health Co-operative, Tokyo, Japan. In the late evening Karen visited Juntendo University and had a meeting with DIHAC team for research collaboration.  Professor Motoyuki Yuasa and Asociate Professor Myo Nyein Aung, Department of Global Health Research Juntendo University welcomed her visit.

 Following up the visit, LB Singapore team and DIHAC teams from Japan and Thailand held a Zoom meeting for further collboration on 5th June 2023, a month later.