The purpose of this study is to shed light on the sense of self that occurs amongst those who have been diagnosed with the early stages of dementia, where the individual attempts narrowing within their world. The research was conducted using qualitative induction research methods and data was collected using semi-structured interview methods. The diagnosis was Alzheimer's disease in all cases. Of the 15 participants, 6 were male and 9 female. The average age was 69.9 years old. The average score on the MMSE was 19.8 points. The average period since first diagnosis was 2 years. The average interview time was 51 minutes. The narrowing self perceived by these people diagnosed with mild dementia was composed of the “neglected self” and “closed self”. While living in a safe world in which they had given up on their own possibilities and experienced narrowing, they were unable to give up and harboured regret, anger, resentment, anger, and feelings of absurdity. From this it can be seen that it is desirable to build a safe society in which people with mild dementia can demonstrate their potential.

Hiromi Toki is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing at the Kagawa Prefectural University of Health Sciences. She is licensed as a registered nurse and a public health nurse and is a certified nurse specialist. She holds a Doctor of Nursing degree at Kochi Prefectural University . She teaches psychiatric nursing to undergraduate nursing students and has been involved in early stage dementia medical care for the past about 20 years; providing nursing and research for people with dementia and their families. Her specialty research areas are psychiatric nursing and dementia nursing. Masako Tai is a Professor of the faculty of nursing at Kochi Prefectural University. She teaches psychiatric nursing to undergraduate nursing students and graduate nursing students. Her specialty research areas are psychiatric nursing and family nursing. She uses both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Sayumi Nojima is a Professor Appointed at Kochi Prefectural University. She teaches nursing theory and resea ch methods in her doctoral program. Her specialty research areas are family nursing and psychiatric nursing. She has a diverse range of research interests and utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.