Dementia is covered in the areas of mental health and long-term care according to the Mental Health Review Report (MHRR) and Elderly Services Programme Plan (ESPP).

• The Mental Health Review Report (MHRR)

There is a chapter on dementia support services for the elderly (Chapter 4), which describes the burden of dementia, existing services for people with dementia, enhancing dementia care through person-centered and holistic care approaches, integrated community care and intervention model for dementia, and recommendations for dementia care. To reduce the existing service gaps, it recommends the enhancement of public education and prevention, primary and specialist care, post-diagnostic medical, community and residential support services, training of care workforce, and legal protection for people with dementia and their family carers (Food and Health Bureau, 2017a).

• Elderly Services Programme Plan (ESPP)

There is a chapter describing the services for elderly persons (Chapter 5) including dementia as one of the subchapters. It proposes two recommendations in relation to dementia care. Based on the two recommendations, a closer medical-social collaboration should be encouraged in the provision and future development of dementia services, such as public education, carer training, and staff training. It also recommends the enhancement of knowledge and skills among older people, family carers and care workers in the early detection of dementia (including mild cognitive impairment) and timely referral to appropriate services at the community care levels (Working Group on Elderly Services Programme Plan, 2017).

• “Recommendation 10 – Services for elderly persons with dementia should be strengthened. The issue of dementia should be considered as an integral part in the whole spectrum of elderly services and a multidisciplinary approach should be adopted.”
• “Recommendation 19 – The interface between mainstream elderly services and existing services for people from minority groups or people with special needs should be strengthened to enable provision of suitable support for service users from different backgrounds.”

References:

Food and Health Bureau. (2017a). Mental Health Review Report.  Retrieved from https://www.fhb.gov.hk/download/press_and_publications/otherinfo/180500_mhr/e_mhr_full_report.pdf.

Working Group on Elderly Services Programme Plan, Elderly Commission of Government of Hong Kong SAR,. (2017). Elderly Services Programme Plan. Hong Kong: Elderly Commission of Government HKSAR Retrieved from https://www.elderlycommission.gov.hk/en/download/library/ESPP_Final_Report_Eng.pdf.