The Designing for Dementia Knowledge Library

Yuuko Kawaura (alias)

Age:

87 years old （As of March 2020 interview）

Place of residence:

Kunitachi City, Tokyo

Relatives living together:

Lives alone in a group home

Occupation:

Former cook at a facility for the disabled / currently unemployed

Age of onset:

About 83 years old

Age of diagnosis:

83 years old

Diagnosis:

Alzheimer type

Dementia rating scale?Mini-Mental State Examination（MMSE）
The most widely used screening test internationally for identifying dementia, in which questions are asked directly to subjects. The MMSE assesses cognitive functions with a series of questions/tasks related to orientation, memory, attention and calculation, language, giving commands and copying a picture. The test yields the highest score of 30 points, and, in general, those who score 23 points or lower are identified as suspected patients with dementia.Revised Hasegawa's Dementia Scale (HDS-R)
A screening test widely used in Japan for identifying dementia, in which questions are asked directly to subjects. It has 9 questions/tasks related to age, orientation, immediate memory and delayed recall of 3 words, calculation, backward digit span, memory of 5 objects and language fluency. The test yields the highest score of 30 points, and, in general, those who score 20 points or lower are identified as suspected patients with dementia.:

HDS-R 16About （As of January 2020）

Using long-term care insurance:

Not using long-term care insurance services (group home resident)

Past experiences

Diagnosis

2016年（83）

After my two children became independent, I was living with my husband in a house in Kunitachi. I was working as a purchasing clerk at a supermarket and also as a cook at a facility for people with disabilities.
At that time, my husband was using day services at the group home where I currently stay, and I often came here with him.
Gradually, I began to make repeated phone calls while my husband was at the day care center, and it was observed by center staff, when picking up or dropping off my husband, that I had become unable to clean up the house.
Subsequently, my husband's care manager asked me to see a doctor. I went to the hospital and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Around the same time, I received a certification of nursing care eligibility (nursing care level 1) and, to begin, started attending a day service twice a week.
Three months later, I started to use home nursing (checking medication) and home care (disposing of garbage) once a week respectively.

2017年（84）

The house continued to be overflowing with things. The care manager and day service staff cleaned and tidied up the house, but I was still not able to take a bath and continued to forget taking medications.

2019年（86）

My husband was hospitalized, and I went alone to the hospital to see him every day. My living environment further deteriorated during the period. More things piled up, and people started to worry about even electrical leakage. I was reluctant to use long-term care insurance services, and it appeared that helpers were unable to visit me.
While I continued to have no contact with people around me, my husband passed away at the end of the year, and my family had an opportunity to get together and consider my moving into a group home.

2020年（87）

I moved into my current group home when a room became available.
Although I found it difficult to live in a care facility at first, I assumed responsibility for cooking, which was my previous job, and feel that I am now settled in.

Past experiences

Joy in life and living

Something you would like to do in the future

Challenges in daily living

Physical and mental dysfunctions

Message to the society