Let’s Think About Life with Dementia #1 Relay for Hope International Forum

In February 2025, I had an opportunity to attend “People with Dementia Across the World Passing the Baton -- Relay for Hope International Forum 2025” in Tokyo, where Ms. Kate Swaffer gave a lecture. Ms. Swaffer, from Australia, was diagnosed with early-onset dementia when she was only 49 years old.

Her doctor told her to quit her job and prepare for the future because she would no longer be able to do anything. But since the diagnosis, Ms. Swaffer has started advocacy activities by people with dementia, given lectures as a person with dementia at places like the United Nations and the World Health Organization, and been continuing research work in a doctoral program.

As her example shows, as soon as people are diagnosed with dementia, they are often assumed to be no longer capable of anything and cut off from society. She calls it Prescribed Disengagement©, which can take their potential away. To prevent that from happening, we should pay attention to protection of the “rights” we take for granted.

Ms. Swaffer also talked about reablement, a key theme we have worked on at the ILC team. Reablement is a collaborative approach, leveraging what the person can do by encouraging them through dialogue. While the traditional support focuses on supplementing lost abilities, reablement aims to value the life the person has had, increase what they can do, and enable them to have a role in society.

Instead of being recipients of support, people with dementia can stay connected to society as its members. It is therefore critical that society as a whole expand support to help them keep using their abilities and resources. Her lecture was a valuable reminder of this important lesson.

Encouraged by her words “Once you choose hope, anything is possible,” I would like to keep exploring how we can, and I can, help create society where people can choose hope.

* Handouts and videos of the forum are available on the following Dementia Care Information Network website. Some include English information, which you may find interesting.

Forum information main page (in Japanese, with links to reference materials and videos): https://suishinin.jp/suishinin/suishinin_event/event_No6-2.php

Information in English:

l Forum handout (Power Point slides are available in both Japanese and English): https://www.dcnet.gr.jp/pdf/kensyu/r7_suishinin/r7_suishinin_relay_handouts.pdf

l Forum videos (consecutive interpretation is available for Ms. Swaffer’s parts)

o Ms. Swaffer’s lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGSmyxzCKYs&feature=youtu.be

o Discussion with Ms. Swaffer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQiZa1czZoQ&feature=youtu.be

Taeko Nakashima

Faculty of Health Management　

Department of Social Health and Business Management

Nihon Fukushi University

https://www.nfu.ne.jp/

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