一块老旧的公交车站牌矗立在爱知县丰桥市一家咖啡馆前，这里是痴呆症患者及其家人互动的场所。该公交车站设有时刻表和候车室，但公交车永远不会在此停靠。
An old bus stop sign stands in front of a cafe in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, where people with dementia and their families interact. The bus stop has a timetable and a waiting room, but buses will never stop there.
这一做法源自德国的倡议，日本的治疗性公交车站旨在帮助防止痴呆症患者因常产生“回家”冲动而走失或迷路。
Based on an initiative originating in Germany, such therapeutic bus stops in Japan aim to help prevent those with dementia, who often experience the urge to “go home,” from wandering and getting lost.
56 岁的非营利组织“Pokapoka no Mori”负责人、Anki Cafe 经营者杉野朋香表示，她认为为痴呆症患者设置模拟公交车站是个好主意，可以让他们有一个不被打扰的放松场所。
Tomoka Sugino, the 56-year-old head of the nonprofit organization Pokapoka no Mori and who runs the Anki Cafe, said she thought it was a great idea to create mock bus stops for people with dementia to give them a place to relax undisturbed.
杉野从当地公共交通提供商丰桥铁路处获得了一块退役的公交车站牌，并于 2021 年安装。尽管咖啡馆没有常住人员，她表示希望将该地打造成帮助痴呆症患者的象征。
Sugino obtained a retired bus stop sign from local public transportation provider Toyohashi Rail Road, and installed it in 2021. Although the cafe does not have residents, she said she wanted to make the place a symbol for helping those with dementia.
该倡议在社区中被广泛知晓后，丰桥铁路收到了来自当地养老院的多项请求，目前已向共计 15 家机构提供了公交车站牌。
After the initiative became known in the community, Toyohashi Rail Road got a number of requests from local nursing care homes, and the company has so far offered bus stop signs to a total of 15 facilities.
该公司表示，已收到感谢的话语，一些养老院工作人员称，当被要求等公交车时，居民会感到自己的情感被承认，因而更容易平静下来。
The firm said it has received words of gratitude, with some care home workers saying that when residents are asked to wait for a bus, they feel that their feelings are being acknowledged and tend to calm down.
也有人对对痴呆症患者说谎表示担忧，但参与者认为其带来的好处足以弥补这一点。
Some have expressed concerns over lying to those with dementia, but those involved believe the good it does makes up for it.
丰桥铁路官员赤川圭子表示：“该倡议为痴呆症患者提供照护，并减轻看护者的负担。我们希望继续提供（公交车站牌）。” 爱知之森是丰桥市的一家集体之家，与丰桥铁路合作，于 6 月设置了一处模拟公交车站和一张长椅。
“The initiative provides care for people with dementia and reduces the burden of caretakers,” said Keiko Akagawa, an official of Toyohashi Rail Road. “We hope to continue offering (bus stop signs).”Aichi no Mori, a group home in Toyohashi, set up a mock bus stop and a bench in June, in cooperation with Toyohashi Rail Road.
该集体之家经理西口裕美表示，每天约有 10 人使用该长椅，其中包括经过该设施附近行走的人士，有人一天会来坐三次。
Hiromi Nishiguchi, the manager at the group home, said around 10 people a day, including those walking near the facility, use the bench, with some coming to sit there as many as three times a day.
“当我们告诉他们‘既然公交车不来了，我们回去吧’时，他们就会回到自己的房间，”西口说。“甚至有人会忘记他们本来是在等公交车。”杉野表示，对这项倡议感兴趣的孩子们开始来到安琪咖啡馆，并与痴呆症患者进行交流，她觉得这个地方正在产生大量的积极影响。
“They go back to their room when we tell them ’Let’s go back since a bus isn’t coming,’” Nishiguchi said. “Some even forget that they were waiting for a bus.”Sugino said children who are interested in the initiative started coming to the Anki Cafe and are communicating with people with dementia, adding that she feels the place is generating a lot of positivity.