Dementia Support Information in Japan: Helplines and Community Gathering Places
Japan has prepared a variety of support channels for people with dementia and their families, including Community-based Integrated Support Centers in municipalities, dementia telephone consultation, a call center exclusively for people under 65, and dementia cafes in communities. These resources mainly provide information, consultation, and mutual exchange, helping families find suitable welfare services. This article presents basic facts about them in the form of fact cards for reference.
Machine translation of our Chinese article, without human translation review. Suggestions concerning China remain specific to China.
Chinese fact summaries and suggestions for China (not a full translation)
Original: 認知症に関する相談について ｜厚生労働省 · Original language: ja
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Facts from the sources
In Japan, each municipality has a Community-based Integrated Support Center. The center provides consultation related to preventive health care and long-term care and cooperates with institutions such as dementia disease medical centers to help residents use appropriate welfare services or systems. View source
In Japan, a dementia cafe is a place where people with dementia and their families share information and deepen understanding with local residents and nursing and welfare professionals. View source
Japan has a telephone consultation service on dementia. The toll-free number is 0120-294-456, and service hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (excluding holidays). View source
Japan has a dedicated call center for young-onset dementia. Telephone service hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (excluding year-end and New Year holidays and holidays), and it is for people with dementia under 65 and their families. View source
In Japan, dementia cafes may operate under various names, such as "dementia cafe" or "Orange Cafe." You can ask the local elderly welfare division or the Community-based Integrated Support Center about them. View source
For older people and families
If you live in Japan, you can first ask at your municipal Community-based Integrated Support Center, which provides consultation on health care and long-term care and helps you understand available welfare services.
To find a dementia cafe, you can ask the local elderly welfare division or the Community-based Integrated Support Center; the cafe may be called by different names such as "Orange Cafe."
Dementia telephone consultation: toll-free number 0120-294-456, available Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (excluding holidays); mobile phone users may need to call a paid number.
If a family member is under 65, you can contact the young-onset dementia dedicated call center, available Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (excluding year-end and New Year holidays and holidays).
Cafes are places where people with dementia, their families, residents, and professionals can interact with one another. You can go to hear others' experiences, or simply sit quietly.
Before calling, write down the questions you want to ask and the basic situation of the person concerned; communication will be clearer.
This information is about Japan; if you are in China, please consult your local community or civil affairs authorities, and do not directly call Japanese numbers.
If you notice dementia-related symptoms, first seek evaluation from a qualified doctor; telephone consultation is not a diagnosis.
See what care and community teams can do
Communities can learn from Japan's Community-based Integrated Support Center model by integrating medical, long-term care, and welfare consultation into a clear service entry point, making it easier for residents to get help quickly.
Dementia cafes are suitable for community organizations to operate in cooperation with professional agencies. The focus should be on information sharing and reducing loneliness. Before operation, service boundaries and safety safeguards should be clearly defined.
If opening a dementia telephone consultation hotline, it is necessary to define service hours and the target population, provide professional training for operators, and keep referral records.
General consultation points should be clearly distinguished from dementia disease medical centers. Professional triage and referral processes should be established, and hotlines should not be treated as emergency or diagnostic channels.
When developing similar services in China, it is necessary to follow local policies and resources and seek guidance from civil affairs, health, and other authorities; Japanese systems cannot be directly copied.
Publicity materials should clearly state the scope of services, eligibility conditions, and limitations, so the public does not misunderstand them as official guarantees or round-the-clock services.
When organizing community exchange activities, names such as "cafe" can be adapted locally, but their functions and target groups should be explained in public information.
During service operation, regularly collect feedback from families and pay attention to protecting personal privacy, especially the information of people with dementia.
What needs local assessment
The fact cards only describe existing resources in Japan and do not represent policies or hotlines available in mainland China. The telephone numbers and service hours cited in the text are taken from the original article; the update date is not indicated, so please verify with local Japanese agencies before use. For dementia-related diagnosis, treatment, and care plans, please consult qualified medical professionals. The statistics or individual cases described in the text do not equal personal risk; please judge based on the individual's own situation. Source: Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (see original link). This website has compiled and translated the original facts; this is not a translation produced, approved, or released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Japanese systems are not equivalent to Chinese systems.
Sources
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and WelfareWas this article helpful?
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