スキップしてメイン コンテンツに移動

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/

コメント

コメントを投稿

このブログの人気の投稿

推し活とプロダクティブ#16　「その人なり」とプロダクティブ

老年学、豊かな歳の重ね方の研究をしていることもあり、たくさんの大先輩たちの人生を垣間見る機会をいただいている。 その生き様は多様で、自分が学んできた老年学の理論だけでは捉えきれない人ばかり。   体操サークルで出会った歩行困難な一人暮らしの女性は、 90 を超えてもたくさんの人々に頼られ、プロダクティブエイジングのお手本の様な生き様。 一方で、公園のベンチで出会った 60 代の男性は、大企業の管理職を定年退職してからは家に閉じこもり、毎日が長いとため息ばかりついていたり。   研究をはじめた最初の頃を思い返すと、先に例として触れた 90 を超えた女性のようにキラキラ輝く人に目が行きがちだったのだけれど。 たくさんの人にお会いする程に気になりはじめたのが、「その人なり」という視点。   例えば、先に例に出した 60 代の男性の「その人なり」を考えてみると … かってに、閉じこもって、過去を振り返ってばかりと決めつけていたけれど、本当にそうなのかな … 。   よーく目を凝らすと、 1 日に 8000 歩と決めた目標を達成するために、朝夕に雨の日も近所をウォーキングしていたり。 ついでにマイトングとゴミ袋を片手にゴミ拾いをしていたり。   週に 2 回、奥さんに隠れ、医者に控える様に言われている甘いものを買いにミニスーパーに通っていたり。 その際には、誰に頼まれたわけではないけれど、小学校の下校時刻にあわせ、横断歩道でかってに見守りをしていたり。   この男性の面白いのは、環境活動や見守りなど、地域のためになる活動をしているのに、それを誰かから認められたくないこと。 ついつい褒めてしまった私にこの男性が返したのは「そんなこと言われるとやんなっちゃう、自分の健康のため、とか、気になるから、これじゃあダメなの？」という怒りの言葉。   もしかしたらだけれど、 1 日が長い … と過去の仕事山積みな毎日を振り返ることを楽しんでいたのかもしれない。 もしかしたら、自分だけがわかる小さな誰かのためのゴミ拾いや見守りが、この男性の今なりのプロダクティブなのかもしれない。   人からの評価の中で生きてきた 30 ...
コメントを投稿
続きを読む

Supporting my fav seniors #17　Getting a little revenge with Japanese New Year cuisine “Osechi Ryori”

  Mrs. A: “I should start buying ingredients for Osechi Ryori pretty soon. Stores must be crowded next weekend, and I’d rather avoid that.” Mrs. B: “Wow, you’re making Osechi yourself? That’s a lot of work to do. How nice of you! It that because you’re having a family gathering?”   Mrs. A: “No, we aren’t getting together. But my husband now has no one to visit and enjoy Osechi together for New Year. So I kind of feel sorry for him.” Mrs. B: “But it sounds like life is much easier now. You no longer need to visit your husband’s parents’ house, helping prepare Osechi and acting as “good daughter-in-law” every minute. What a relief! It must feel as if you were in heaven.”   I overheard this conversation with big laughs between two women, probably in their mid-70s, at the sauna of a local gym. They went on and on, talking about how painful it had been as daughter-in-law to visit the husband’s parents’ house for New Year.   While listening to this conversa...
コメントを投稿
続きを読む

Cutting-edge Daily Life of Elderly #12 Afraid of falling? Not to worry!

  In FY2024, about 11,200 people aged 65 or over died (indoor and outdoor) due to falling, more than five times as many as road traffic deaths (about 2,100). You can say the number is quite significant as a cause of deaths other than illness.   Number of deaths among people aged 65+ due to traffic accidents (blue) and falls (orange): 2024 Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. 2024 Vital Statistics (definite figures).   One day, as I got off an escalator at a station on my way home from work, I found an older man lying face down. People around him also noticed him and kept looking from a distance. It seemed like he tripped on the escalator and hit his face. His glasses were cracked, and blood was coming out of his forehead. His mouth was also cut. As I approached him to ask if he was all right, a young man, maybe in his 30s, smoothly came over and sat down in front of him. “Are you all right? Can you hear me? Does anything hurt?” The young man c...
コメントを投稿
続きを読む