The Mental Health Review Report (MHRR) recommends the Government to increase the supply and structured trainings for health and social care providers (e.g., social workers, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, programme assistants, etc.) to empower them with equipped necessary skills and knowledge in dementia care (Food and Health Bureau, 2017a, pp. 186-187). It also mentions the need to pilot the programme in order to test the readiness of service providers on clinical effectiveness, cost economic analysis, and service statistics (Food and Health Bureau, 2017a, p. 186). In the part of capacity building and workforce training, this report recommends that structured training should be given to empower service providers in detecting dementia symptoms, understanding the disease trajectory, and developing dementia care approaches (Food and Health Bureau, 2017a, p. 172).

The Elderly Services Programme Plan (ESPP) indicates the demand for long-term care services and workforce to address the increasing population of older people. Apart from ongoing measures to strengthen the workforce, it is also important to explore other sources of informal care providers, such as neighbours and volunteers who can serve as “elder-sitters” to support older people in the community (Working Group on Elderly Services Programme Plan, 2017, pp. 32-34).

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.