"I want to travel with my mother again" - Parent and child working to improve dementia; "Dementia...
39A center specializing in dementia rehabilitation opened in Kochi City in April 2025. We interviewed a parent and child who are working hard to improve their dementia while attending the rehabilitation center.
(Yumi Ozaki)
"My mother was a great cook and would cook a variety of dishes, but I noticed something strange when she would leave food in the microwave or leave it there."
Sachiko Ozaki, 91, lives in Kochi City. She was diagnosed with dementia seven years ago. Her main symptoms include talking to herself and suddenly drifting off into fantasy. She currently lives with her daughter, Yumi.
(Yumi Ozaki)
"She still talks to herself a lot, but she's able to live her life without any problems."
Dementia is a brain disease that can affect anyone. According to Kochi Prefecture, the number of elderly people with dementia in the prefecture is expected to continue increasing until 2035, with one in five people over the age of 65 expected to develop dementia.
Ozaki currently attends a dementia rehabilitation center in Kochi City. This rehabilitation center opened in Osaka in 2016 and has expanded nationwide, with its 12th facility opening in Kochi City in April 2025.
Dementia care specialists and other staff provide personalized rehabilitation tailored to each client's daily needs and goals.
(Hiromi Okamoto, Dementia Rehabilitation Specialist, Kochi Dementia Rehabilitation Center)
"This rehabilitation center approaches the body, mind, and brain in various ways to help improve their condition. We take the time to thoroughly assess each client's weaknesses in advance, and then identify areas where we believe we can help them."
On this day, Ozaki was practicing tabletop exercises and rhythmic calisthenics to strengthen brain function.
While dementia is considered difficult to cure completely, it is possible to improve symptoms and reduce problematic behaviors.
(Hiromi Okamoto, Dementia Rehabilitation Specialist, Kochi Dementia Rehabilitation Center)
"Do the same as me. Hurrah! Breathe in through your nose. Okay. Swing your wrists."
Ozaki practiced getting in and out of her wheelchair at the rehabilitation center, and her movements have become much smoother.
(Hiromi Okamoto, Dementia Rehabilitation Specialist, Kochi Dementia Rehabilitation Center)
"Of course, we want the patient to use it, but most of all, we want their family to feel better. We also want people who are worried about dementia to use it. That way, they can improve faster."
(Yumi Ozaki)
"I think she's becoming a little more motivated. I want to go on trips with my mother, so I'd like her to be able to transfer between wheelchairs freely, and if possible, get rid of the wheelchair and switch back to using a walker."
The couple shares a hobby: traveling. However, in December 2024, Ozaki's cognitive decline suddenly declined. He looked grim and his smile faded. At that time, Yumi surrounded Ozaki with many of her favorite things, such as playing their favorite Hawaiian music at home and buying a stuffed animal that looked just like their dog.
(Ozaki Yumi)
"I gave my mother (the stuffed animal) and she hugged it all the time, even sleeping with it. I think it made my mother feel a lot more cheerful."
"I don't want to give up just because she has dementia." Yumi is trying various methods to improve her mother's symptoms, even if only a little, and is supporting her by trying anything that has potential.
(Ozaki Yumi)
"I will continue to treat my mother with patience and love, and hope to improve her condition even a little so that we can go on our shared hobby of traveling again."