Trials begin of communities for seniors with cognitive disorders
Shanghai began trials of friendly communities for seniors with cognitive disorders on Saturday, World Alzheimer's Day.
The Bund and Wuliqiao subdistricts in Huangpu District, Jiangning Road and Ruijin No. 2 Road subdistricts in Jing'an District and Tangqiao and Yangjing subdistricts in the Pudong New Area are among areas take part, according to Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.
"Care of seniors with cognitive disorders is a new challenge and it is important to create friendly communities for them," said Jiang Rui, deputy director of the bureau.
These communities will disseminate information on dementia to raise awareness among residents, the bureau said, with risk evaluation providing early intervention and early stage nursing care.
Communities will also provide psychological counselling, training and respite services for families with centers forming a long-term community support mechanism.
There are more than 5 million people in Shanghai aged over 60, covering more than a third of permanent residents. More than 800,000 are 80 or above. It is estimated that about 200,000 seniors in the city suffer from dementia and the figure is rising.
A thousand new beds for seniors with cognitive disorders have been provided at senior homes, and areas exclusively for those with dementia are being established. The target is to provide 8,000 beds by 2022.
“We will also establish a database and conduct staff training to ensure better services for them,” said Jiang.
In Changning District, a standard for friendly communities has been released, and a large number of agencies in the city are providing early screening, professional care and family support at residential communities.