Join us, and you won’t be alone.

IRODORI Sai is an online forum hosted by the Kyoto branch of the Alzheimer’s Association Japan every Friday from 7:00 p.m. It was started in November 2021 to facilitate the free speech of people with dementia. Irodori means colorfulness and things to make life rich. Atsushi Shimosaka, the representative of IRODORI Sai, hopes that it will become a place where people diagnosed with dementia can share their feelings, thoughts, and anxiety so that they do not feel alone, bringing Irodori into people’s lives
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Bringing Irodori into people’s lives

When people are diagnosed with dementia, they often become depressed and find it challenging to think positively about the future. We have named the site “IRODORI” in the hope that it will become a place where people with dementia can have a chance to make their lives colorful again. Passcodes and IDs are open to the public so they can connect easily. Also, people can join by reading the two-dimensional code. People with dementia, family members, and professionals from all over the country currently participate in the Irodori session.

Participants talk and interact freely.

The talks vary from participant to participant. When someone says, “I have been diagnosed. What should I do? “ we will discuss and exchange our experiences and information. We also have a project called “Adding Irodori to Your Life,” where we exchange information such as “I have dementia, but I am trying to do something about it,” or we sometimes hear stories from participants about what they used to do when they were young. Basically, it is a place where people with dementia can talk freely with each other.

Off-line meeting was held with participation from other branches.

In June 2023, we held an in-person meeting, which we had longed for. We interacted with people from the Shiga, Nara, and Shizuoka associations. We shared the unique experience and enjoyed cheerful conversation around a large table.
IRODORI Sai welcomes the participation of people with dementia.
We welcome your participation in your preferable of talking, listening, turning on or off your video.
Please feel free to join us and make your life colorful with IRODORI.

Translated by Satoshi Nakano, Noriyo Washizu