More than 4,000 people in Macau have been diagnosed with dementia, according to Lo Iek Long, a coordinator at the Dementia Medical Center of the Health Bureau (SSM).
From January to September this year, SSM assessed the cognitive functions of 1,037 residents. The number of residents assessed was double that of the same period last year.
The rate of diagnosis increased from 37.5 percent last year to 45 percent this year.
Lo added that the number of newly diagnosed dementia patients registered at the Dementia Medical Center increased by 188 percent year on year, with more than 300 new patients confirmed.
Alexis Tam, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, recently stated at a dementia-related event that the Macau government is keen to improve the prevention of dementia, which is an important part of the government’s ten- year plan for the elderly.
Tam added that the Macau government is setting up a system for dementia treatment which will consist of five main stages: prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and support.
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