Opened the Home Where He Cared for His Mother: “People Needed to Keep the Café Going” [Interview]

【Financial News, Tokyo—Correspondent Seo Hye-jin】“There was nowhere people could talk freely and discuss their concerns without feeling burdened.”
Hiromichi Takeuchi, head of the D Café Community Development Network, cared for his mother, who had dementia, for about 20 years and opened a dementia café in his home in 2012. Even after his mother passed away, he felt families facing similar difficulties needed a place to share their experiences and seek help.
Takeuchi, whom we met in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, on the 28th of last month, said he had been active in dementia family groups since the time he was caring for his mother. He now organizes gatherings where people living with dementia and their families can meet with local residents and professionals.
Welcoming newcomers and helping them feel at ease is fundamental to running the gatherings. “Everyone feels anxious at first,” he said, explaining that it is important to greet people and strike up a conversation. Volunteers with caregiving or hands-on experience help participants mingle naturally.
Another principle is to offer help without making decisions for people. “Basically, we provide information that matches what the person wants,” he said. “They have to make the decision. We can’t decide for them.” The group provides information about hospitals and facilities but leaves the choice to the individual.
The activity, which began in his home, has now expanded to 13 locations. The first challenge in expanding was finding space. To find suitable places where anyone could gather, they explained their purpose to hospitals and elder-care facilities and sought their cooperation. They also used hospital spaces and hours when day-care facilities were closed.
Proposals and funding from administrative agencies also helped. “We received a proposal to expand the activities we had been running at one location, along with funding, and gradually added more locations,” he explained.
The network’s annual operating costs are about 4 million yen (about 34 million won). They are covered by participation fees, donations, Tokyo Metropolitan Government subsidies, and income from other projects. The same participation fee applies to the head, volunteers, and professionals. “Everyone pays the same 300 yen. I pay every time, too,” he said.
The challenge now is finding people to keep the gatherings going. All the on-site organizers are volunteers, with typically three to five people at each location. Even if they secure a venue and operating funds, they still need people to welcome participants and run the gatherings. “It’s not easy to recruit volunteer staff,” he said.
As a way for companies to get involved, he suggested providing spaces for gatherings, such as meeting rooms. However, he stressed that companies first need to understand dementia and the realities of caregiving before offering space.
[email protected] Seo Hye-jin Reporter