Hou Yu-ih Discusses Dementia Care: Friendly Communities to Ease Family Burden

Central News Agency (Reporter Huang Hsu-sheng, New Taipei, May 27) The New Taipei City Government announced today that in the face of an aging population, it will adopt a joint care center and dementia-friendly community model to reduce the stress and burden on family caregivers. Mayor Hou Yu-ih stated that dementia is a critical issue and that the city will work with the central government to care for dementia patients. In response to Taiwan's super-aged society and the rising dementia population, several legislative caucuses and lawmakers are promoting a draft "Dementia Basic Law." Mayor Hou was asked for his views on this after presiding over a municipal meeting today. Hou said that the "Dementia Prevention and Care Policy Guidelines and Action Plan" was launched in 2017, using joint care centers and dementia-friendly communities to reduce family stress, and that local governments will strive to cooperate with central policies. The Health Bureau told CNA that dementia is difficult to cure completely, and the long course of the disease is a source of stress for family caregivers; the world is focusing on "social prescriptions" for non-pharmacological treatment. In particular, the city is promoting innovative services to prevent and delay disability and dementia, targeting healthy, frail, and mildly to moderately disabled (dementia) elderly people, establishing a "community-based" care service system to maintain the health and quality of life of the elderly. To address the aging population and increasing dementia cases in New Taipei, Mayor Hou led a delegation to visit the Australian nursing home "Hammond Care" in Sydney this March. The facility uses an apartment-style design, emphasizing the concept of "home," with central kitchens, open circulation, and shared spaces to create a familiar and safe living environment. The Health Bureau said that Director Chen Jun-chiu also accompanied Mayor Hou to visit the "Zenkai" nursing facilities and dementia care communities in Tokyo, Japan, last year to observe nursing robots, smart mattresses, and community-based care models. In addition, they visited "The Hogeweyk" in Amsterdam, Netherlands, which uses the concept of "small communities" and "living is care," where residents maintain freedom, and shops, restaurants, theaters, and gardens provide a familiar lifestyle, with professional caregivers providing implicit and comprehensive assistance, de-institutionalizing traditional nursing homes.