Awareness campaigns, home care services, training and support for carers, training for healthcare professionals and community health agents, activities for people living with dementia.

The HKADA mainly provides four types of services (Hong Kong Alzheimer’s Disease Association, 2020b):

1. Early Detection Service, which provides comprehensive assessments to speed up the diagnostic process.
2. Day Centres, which aim at maintaining clients’ existing functions and at delaying further cognitive deterioration as well as alleviating caregivers’ stress by using non-pharmacological therapies as well as different structured and suitable training.
3. In Home Service. In order to maintain clients’ abilities and daily functioning and to reduce the effects of the disease to the minimum, this service will design comprehensive care plans and implement home-based training by prescribing different therapeutic interventions, as well as render professional advices for caregivers on home care management and behavioral management techniques.
4. The Institute of Alzheimer’s Education (IAE) aims at providing training and educational courses for medical and social service practitioners, caregivers, and general public, in order to raise understanding of dementia and to build the capacity for quality dementia care. The HKADA is also playing its role of dementia education in echoing to the Dementia Friends initiative of Alzheimer’s Society in the United Kingdom since 2017, to encourage all walks of life in Hong Kong to become Dementia Friends and motivate the public to translate care and acceptance of people with dementia into action.

In addition, they are now implementing two special projects:

1. Project e+: Dementia Community Support Service. Project e+ is a collaborative activity with Kwai Tsing District Office aiming to raise community awareness of the dementia issue through sustained publicity campaigns, to enhance early detection of dementia patients for timely interventions, and to provide concrete support to dementia patients and their families.
2. 4E’s Action for Dementia: Early detection, Early diagnosis, Early intervention, and Early planning. Sponsored by Ronald and Rita Mcaulay Foundation. This project targets Early detection, Early diagnosis, Early intervention, and Early planning by providing Early Detection Service, Community Memory Clinic, day centre services, Care planning consultation, and Emotional support.

References:

Hong Kong Alzheimer’s Disease Association. (2020b). Services – Day Centres. Retrieved from https://www.eng.hkada.org.hk/day-centres

All ARDSI chapters run in their own capacity following basic guidelines from the head office. The organisation carries out dementia awareness and anti-stigma campaigns throughout the year. Particularly during World Alzheimer’s month in September, the different chapters conduct several public events. The ARDSI also provides a few dementia-related services to support caregivers and persons with dementia. Some of the chapters run day-care/activity centres for people with dementia as a social service for minimal charges (charges are only to cover operational costs). The organisation also conducts dementia research and holds an annual conference.

Table 7.3 List of activity centres/day cares/ institutions run by each of the ARDSI chapters.

The association provides:

• Caregivers meetings (monthly in Jakarta, less often in the regional chapters),
• Education sessions,
• Workshops on Dementia Care Skills.

The association has a website with useful information related to dementia. It also has some materials on dementia and a telephone contact. The Association runs Dementia Friends sessions, modelled after the UK based Dementia Friends programme. It has also launched a memory club in St Mary and has hosted a local conference on dementia in Kingston (See Part 5, question 05.01.02).

ADOK provides the following services (Alzheimer’s & Dementia Organization Kenya, 2019):

• Care giver training: with a limited number of trained doctors and effective patient-care options, ADOK provides training on:

1. 1. Understanding Dementia,
   2. Understanding Alzheimer’s,
   3. Effectively communicating with an Alzheimer’s patient,
   4. Dealing with care giver burn out,
   5. Dealing with behavior change (aggression),
   6. Safety.

• Support groups: Through monthly support group meetings, caregivers of persons with dementia meet and talk about their experiences in providing care to persons with dementia while giving each other support.
• Research and advocacy: ADOK conducts advocacy in the media, churches, and among community health workers.

References:

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Organization Kenya (ADOK). (2019). Training. https://alzkenya.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ADOK_Newsletter.pdf

Currently FEDMA has a help line providing general information and orientation services. All its state-level affiliates offer diverse services such as day care, carer training and general information on dementia and care recommendations for carers. At national level there are currently 21 associations that are part of FEDMA. Most of them provide support group sessions, general information on dementia and care for people with dementia. Support groups are usually quite diverse depending on who delivers them: geriatricians, nurse, occupational therapist, psychologist, among others.

Both organisations work in collaboration with their local branches/affiliates to provide support, education, and information for people affected by dementia and their carers. They work closely with the NASC agencies to coordinate and/or provide a variety of services including:

• assistance with household tasks,
• assistance with personal care needs, such as showering, dressing, or supervising medication,
• day programmes,
• carer relief,
• respite services,
• residential care,
• support with ready-made meals,
• subsidised taxi chits to help with transport costs.

• Support groups for persons living with dementia and their carers and families;
• Information, education, and training of carers/families;
• Home carers and nursing agencies;
• Connecting families and persons living with dementia with affiliate members who can provide dementia-specific services.