Press Releases
Forum promotes awareness of dementia (with photos)
The Food and Health Bureau today (March 8) hosted a forum on the Care and
Support for Dementia Patients to promote awareness of dementia and encourage
care and support for patients and carers in the community.
The forum brought together more than 200 medical professionals, service
providers from the welfare sector and government representatives to exchange
their experience, expertise and insight in the latest trend of dementia and
support services to patients. Mrs May Wan Kao, wife of Nobel Laureate in
Physics Professor Charles K Kao, also shared her experience as a carer
providing support to a dementia patient.
Addressing the forum, the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, said
the Government was committed to maintaining the quality of life of dementia
patients.
"We are providing various forms of medical treatments and support services
to these patients through the Hospital Authority, the Department of Health,
the Social Welfare Department and the non-government organisations.
"To meet the changing needs, we have launched a series of measures to
strengthen the support services to dementia patients in the past few years,"
Dr Chow said. "These include the expansion of psychogeriatric outreach
services, improvement of associated facilities in elderly homes and elderly
health care centres, as well as stepping up public education and promotion
of the concept of caring for the elderly."
Dr Chow pointed out that family members and carers played an important role
in the nursing of dementia patients. Besides providing physical assistance,
they also offered spiritual support and encouragement to the patients.
"We fully understand the stress the carers are facing in their everyday
lives. We are providing support to them through various channels, hoping
that a closer partnering relationship could be established," he said.
Dr Chow also took the opportunity to express his gratitude to Professor and
Mrs Kao for their concern for dementia patients in Hong Kong; their earnest
practice in calling for the community's awareness of the disease; as well as
their generous support to the services for the patients and the carers.
During today's forum, participants exchanged views on various topics about
dementia, including research findings on the global trend of dementia;
diagnosis and symptomatology of the disease; treatment to patients by the
Hospital Authority, services provided by the Department of Health on
training and education for carers of dementia patients; the role of carers
in providing support to dementia patients; and the development of day care
and residential care services for dementia patients.
Ends/Monday, March 8, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:30
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