Naoko Tsumura, a professor of the Kansai University of Welfare Sciences, is working on "Validation," a method for communicating with patients with dementia. The hallmark of validation is to consider all the behaviors that people with dementia have, such as making noise or wandering, as meaningful. It allows patients to live with dignity by relating the patient’s life experiences to why they make noise or wander around, and working together to establish a new interpersonal relationship by communicating empathetically with them. This brings peace not only to the patients, but also to the caregiver’s family and facility staff, providing them with the strength to live together. Staff members and families at nursing care facilities that have incorporated this method have seen gradual changes, and have been able to rebuild their relationships with the patients.