"Dementia Cafe" New Corona "Cannot Resume" Over 80% November 1, 19:12
There are about 7,000 dementia cafes nationwide where people with dementia and their families can get together and discuss their concerns.
In the first survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, it was found that more than 80% of dementia cafes could not be restarted due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, and the impact on users is spreading. ..
The "Dementia Cafe" is a place where you can connect with local communities and specialists and discuss your concerns in order to prevent the isolation of people with dementia and their families in the early stages and reduce the psychological burden. It is installed in some places.
Regarding the effects of the new coronavirus on this dementia cafe, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare commissioned a group of experts to conduct the first survey of local governments nationwide, and received responses from more than 1240 local governments, which is about 70%. ..
As a result, it was found that as of the end of August, 83% of the approximately 6,000 dementia cafes that the local government was aware of had not been reopened due to the effects of the new coronavirus.
As for the reason, it was conspicuous that the venue was a facility for the elderly and could not be used, and that many users were in their 80s or older and had to eat and drink, so the risk of infection could not be ruled out.
Regarding whether the suspension of the cafe affected people with dementia and their families, 23% of the local governments answered that they had a problem, and cases where they lost their place to go and tended to stay at home and family relationships worsened. In some cases, the symptoms of dementia seemed to have progressed.
A group of experts said that although there are regional differences, urgent measures are needed, so we will create a "guidebook" to sustain the dementia cafe even in the corona sickness and distribute it to local governments.
Associate Professor Tomoyuki Yabuki of the Department of Social Welfare, Tohoku Fukushi University, who was in charge of the survey, said, "The disappearance of the dementia cafe may delay the diagnosis and progress dementia. Visit activities, letters, telephone calls, etc. We need to think about ways to keep it functioning, and we're just trying to see if we can face the Corona era. "
Expert-prepared guide 4 points required
A "guidebook" created by a group of experts lists four points that operators need to maintain the functioning of a dementia cafe.
▽ Use public relations magazines and circulation boards to inform about activities and events so that you can feel the connection.
▽ If you know the contact information, use a letter or telephone to send a voice with just one word.
In addition, it is also effective to visit regularly according to the local situation and become a counselor.
In addition, it is assumed that you are accustomed to the communication environment, the presence of a personal computer, and the operation, but if you are not going out for a long time, holding an online dementia cafe is one of the options.
What is "Dementia Cafe"?
"Dementia Cafe" is open at facilities for the elderly, medical institutions, and regional comprehensive support centers of each municipality, and when you start to feel discomfort before you are diagnosed with dementia or immediately after you are diagnosed. , It fills the "blank period" until receiving nursing care services.
The national government set out to popularize dementia cafes in the 2012 "Five-Year Plan for Promotion of Dementia Measures", and after that, "dementia community support promoters" of each municipality will take on roles such as opening cafes. became.
The goal is to install it in all municipalities by the end of this year.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of dementia cafes, which was 2253 in 2015, is steadily increasing, and at the time of adulthood, 7023 have been set up in 1412 local governments.
On the other hand, there are no unified installation standards, and there are many issues regarding how to secure human resources and operating funds.
The dementia cafe that keeps resting
The dementia cafe "Frendo Mizumoto" in Katsushika-ku, Tokyo was forced to suspend in March when the infection with the new coronavirus spread, and it has not yet resumed.
This cafe was opened five years ago by social workers commissioned by the ward.
We hold tea parties and events once a month, and at times, it was used by about 60 people with dementia and their families.
Yoko Inaba (71), who was using the cafe with her husband with dementia, was looking forward to visiting with her husband and wife.
Mr. Inaba says that his husband was alive when he came to the cafe and played beigoma.
I feel that my husband's symptoms have progressed, such as worsening forgetfulness in the last six months.
Mr. Inaba said, "There are many difficult things to do when caring for my husband, but at the cafe I was able to interact and consult with people who had the same feelings, so when I got home, the way I treated my husband was different. It's hard not to have one. "
While many users were waiting for the reopening, the cafe was aiming to reopen last month, but gave up.
Mariko Shigehara, a social worker who manages the facility, said, "Since the dementia cafe is a place to gather and have tea and talk, the hurdles for reopening are high. Even if it is reopened, a large room will be newly secured. There is no choice but to shorten the time and narrow down the number of people. "
Mr. Shigehara and his colleagues also sought to resume outdoors and online, but when I asked the users for their opinions in a letter, I was worried about the heat and cold and the eyes around me when I was outdoors. It is said that there were voices saying that it would be difficult to participate in.
Mr. Shigehara said, "I'm particularly worried about people living alone. I'm disappointed that I can't create a place where I can live like a dementia cafe. I have to decide whether to restart or not, and I think it's better to stop if you get lost. There are many facilities, "he said, bleeding frustration.
The dementia cafe that decided to reopen
On the other hand, there is also a "dementia cafe" that has begun to move toward resumption, but there remains the issue of how to balance support for the parties concerned and infection control.
"Engawa Ochiai" in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, which has been volunteering to open a dementia cafe for four years, closed the cafe in March due to the influence of the new coronavirus, but reopened on a trial basis last month.
Due to infection control, we can no longer rent a room in a facility for the elderly that we have been using so far, so we are planning to secure a facility in a nearby ward this month.
In addition, we changed the format in which about 30 people gathered freely.
We decided to limit the number of people and talk directly to those who decided that they needed more support, and narrowed down to eight people.
Chieko Kurihara, the representative, said, "I was told to refrain from going out, and I felt that there were a lot of people who were sick. After all, I thought it was important to have a place to go and an opportunity to go out, so I decided to restart. I did. "
However, it is not easy to continuously secure a place that does not become dense.
Mr. Kurihara said, "I couldn't find a place that was barrier-free and could avoid 3 crowds because it could only be used by up to 10 people and there were steps. If possible, I would like to restart at the same place as before, but now that is it. It is difficult, so I hope the ward will secure a place that is relatively close and easy to reach. "
It is also an issue that some people cannot use it due to the limited number of people.
Masahito Shindo (85), one of the participants, has also helped with the operation.
To prevent dementia, I participated in a cafe every month and performed my hobby harmonica.
"I'm delighted to be able to talk about songs and common topics that we all know at a cafe where people of the same generation gather. It's fun to go out, talk, and laugh with songs. It's worth living. "
Mr. Shindo says so, but he couldn't attend the meeting last month.
Mr. Shindo said, "I hope the cafe will reopen in the same way as before. It's fun, I hope to meet everyone. I sincerely hope that such a day will come again."