My condition changed after suffering a head injury, retired, and returned home

I was working in the Kansai region, and there are many sagas in my life, such as when my love of drinking got the better of me, and I took the last train, but it went in a completely different direction than home. One day, I fell down in the station and cracked my head roughly, and was rushed to the emergency room. After that, I had trouble setting up my work and burning pots and pans. I resigned from my job and returned to my hometown, Tokushima, by myself after talking with my family.


Meeting with a younger onset dementia coordinator

I started living alone in Tokushima, went to Hello Work, a government-run employment agency, and tried several challenges, but they did not work out. Perhaps judging from the situation, a Hello Work staff member suggested consulting with the younger-onset dementia support coordinator and gave me the contact information.
The meeting with the coordinator and the people living with dementia who gathered at the AAJ Tokushima Branch turned out to be my great asset today. I was particularly surprised to see a junior member of my high school club participating as a person living with dementia.

Receiving support for disability pension benefits After the Diagnosis –

On the recommendation of the coordinator, I visited a clinic and was diagnosed with cerebral amyloid angiopathy. I am very grateful to the social insurance consultant who helped me with the pension entitlement procedures, as I do not think I could have done it at all on my own. The job I found at Hello Work was a temporary position in N City. I was assigned to a department where I couldn’t quite remember the procedures. Unfortunately, due to the size of the department, transferring was not an option. After consulting with the coordinator and supervisor, I ultimately resigned.

A wish on a Tanabata wishing strip* – “I want to be of help to others”


Now I actively participate in “WORKS Ai”** and other activities. I have been a volunteer umpire for youth baseball for many years, so I feel at home watching the games and practices from the window of my house. The opportunity to interact with Mr. Tomofumi Tanno and others in Yonago City this past January has also been a source of emotional support. At a recent Ai no Kai**, I wrote on a strip of paper for the Tanabata Festival, “This is the year to become a person who can be of help to others.” I hope I can be of help to others, no matter how small.

Notes
* During the period of Tanabata, a Japanese Festival celebrated on July 7th, also known as the Star Festival in English, there is a custom of attaching strips of paper with wishes written on them to bamboo trees in Japan as shown below.

** “WORKS Ai” is a working group of people living with dementia and their family carers together with supporters in order to do things they can do and/or want to do.

Written by Yoshio Kusunoki
Translated by Satoshi Nakano, Noriyo Washizu