Table 2 The functions of the community space during the study period

 Exchanging information

Every time our staff visited a participant, nobody answered the door and there was an unintelligible note on the door that appeared to have been written by the participant. Staff from existing community centers exchanged information regarding this issue in our space.

 Coordination of community care

A participant was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, but ran out of the hospital and refused to go back. Our staff arranged for the community physicians and staff from the existing community center to meet the participant in our space to make a care plan.

 Anti-abuse action

A participant’s spouse seemed to be suffering from abuse, but was unable to talk about it at their home. Careful intake was conducted in our space, and we then reported the case to the local government.

 Anti-stigma action

A participant was bullied because others regarded their forgetfulness as laziness. The researcher gave the participant a brief anti-stigma education.

 Anti-poverty action

A participant was suffering from poverty and refused external help. Our staff collaborated with the community center to explain how to create a reliable safety net.

 Outreach

When our staff visited a participant’s house, their caregiver was deeply confused about how to care for a person with frailty. The caregiver was referred to the community center for more information.

 Education

A participant’s spouse was experiencing burnout because they were engaging in caregiving despite having been diagnosed with a serious illness. The researcher suggested that the couple access public help, educating them on the value of help-seeking.

 Assistance with understanding the medical system

A participant’s family was suspicious because the general hospital decided to refer the participant to the neighboring outpatient clinic. The staff helped the family to understand the community medical system.

 Emotional support for caregivers

A participant refused to go to the hospital and their family was exhausted from caregiving. The family talked about BPSD in our community space and received empathy from the staff.

 Social participation

A participant who was homebound began to come to participate in activities.

 Safeguarding a small amount of money

Although the participants enjoyed a community lunch club (organized by a different center), they often forgot to pay for it. Because the leader of the lunch club and the participants often meet at our space, we kept a small amount of money at our space to help the participants pay for lunch.

 Day care

When a caregiver (who had denied that the participant they were caring for had dementia) suddenly died, the participant had no place to stay in the daytime and began wandering the community. Eventually, the participant stayed at our space during the day.