Photo: D friends Machida
In Japan, with 29% of its population over 65, 8,000 registered dementia cafes are helping keep its elderly population healthy and reduce dependency on institutional care. "Our D-café services are having a positive effect. Many families have stopped paying for additional medical treatment and have reduced visits to nursing facilities," says Hiromichi Takeuchi, who owns D-café in Tokyo. There are expected to be 7 million elderly people with dementia by 2025 -- about 20% of the population aged 60 and over -- and the government budget for dementia prevention and support has risen from 12.7 billion yen ($89.2 million) in 2022 to 13.2 billion yen ($92.7 million) this year. Delaying onset of dementia in people in their 70s by one year from the current rate, will decrease the proportion of people with dementia by about 10%. Japan also is dealing with the severe lack of caregivers, estimated to reach only 320,000 by 2025.
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