In May, a nurse and other members of a team that supports people with dementia visited a man in his 80s living in Machida, on the outskirts of Tokyo, and urged him to "accompany" his wife to the hospital.
They struck up a natural conversation, but carefully avoided the word "dementia."
As a team that provides early-stage support for those with dementia in the municipality, they offer advice to patients and their families in seeking medical attention as well as local government services.