Dementia café and community–based integrated care

Abstract

Dementia has an extremely long course of disease, more than 10 years, from the time of initial awareness to mild, moderate, and severe conditions, during which changes in symptoms such as cognitive dysfunction and Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia occur. Therefore, living with dementia is not an easy matter for people with dementia, family caregivers, or medical and care professionals. Given these circumstances surrounding dementia, the concept of community–based integrated care is becoming more and more important in order to value life in the community and to effectively utilize local resources for care. However, there was a question as to whether dementia care could be successfully encompassed within the principle of community–based integrated care. We thought that dementia cafés could be an important breakthrough for it, and we actually operated a dementia café. We also verified the factors necessary for effective café operation, methods to ensure the skills required for dementia café staff, and the significance of participation and involvement of medical professionals in dementia cafes. Based on these findings, we hope that the continuation of dementia cafés will help establish community–based integrated care for people with dementia and for all people living in this aging society.