The diagnosis brought me a sense of injustice and depression

I experienced something wrong in my daily life, such as I completely forgot the place where I parked my car. Then, I visited the university hospital in 2018 and got the diagnosis of younger-onset dementia.

The connection with the support network soon after the diagnosis encouraged me to move forward

By the time I left the hospital, I was connected to people and the social services that would support my life with dementia, such as a case manager, a workshop for people with disabilities, a comprehensive community care center, and a coordinator for younger–onset-dementia.
I work four days a week at the workshop, processing marine products and farming, and participating in weight-training rehabilitation programs at a daycare center to improve my physical strength once a week. Right after my diagnosis, my brother was against my going out alone. However, he recognized that I enjoy cycling and walking using a smartphone app and allowed my outing. Maybe he felt relieved.

Positive thinking about the disease and participating in social activities

I am now actively involved in social activities, such as volunteering for the Ehime Marathon and participating in the Triangle Baseball Tournament. I have been appointed as “Ehime Dementia Hope Ambassador” and give lectures and talks at various seminars. At a local symposium, I was happy when a classmate surprised me by coming to listen to my lecture. Last year, I participated in the National Ambassadors of Hope Conference in Tokyo and was very encouraged when I met other people in the same situation. Now that my image of dementia has changed, I take the fact that I have dementia and am a person with disabilities positively.

I want to help others who are suffering from the same challenges.

Now, I feel lucky to have experienced two lives in my life. One without disability, and the other with. This is because I have received a lot of support and have been able to open up a new way of life through volunteer activities and lectures. Even though I have dementia, I think I have been reducing the progression of my disease because I have been connected with various organizations and people who supported me continuously since my earlier stage. Thanks to them, I can live with hope.
I want to work to create a society where all people living with dementia can connect to a support network.

Written by Yutaka Tanaka
Translated by Satoshi Nakano, Noriyo Washizu