Dementia Action Plan 3.0 Focuses on 7 Strategies, Promotes Arts Venue Friendly Guidelines

(Central News Agency, Taipei, July 2) The Dementia Prevention and Care Policy Outline and Action Plan 3.0 has been released, encompassing 7 strategies, including strengthening the dementia care network. The Council of Indigenous Peoples and the Ministry of Culture are newly added ministries, and in the future, guidelines for services for people with dementia are expected to be established in fields such as catering and arts and culture.

According to the "National Community Dementia Epidemiology Survey" commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and conducted by the National Health Research Institutes, from 2021 to 2023, using stratified multi-stage cluster sampling for the population aged 65 and over in 22 cities and counties nationwide, the survey results for the prevalence of dementia among community elders aged 65 and over nationwide were 7.99%.

The survey estimates that by 2031, the prevalence of dementia among those aged 65 and over will reach 8.34%, with the total number of people with dementia exceeding 490,000; by 2041, the prevalence of dementia among those aged 65 and over will approach 9.95%, with the total number of people with dementia exceeding 690,000. In response to the impact of dementia, the Ministry of Health and Welfare is promoting a national-level dementia care policy, and the "Dementia Prevention and Care Policy Outline and Action Plan 3.0" was announced on June 30.

The Dementia Prevention and Care Policy Outline and Action Plan 3.0 includes 7 execution strategies: listing dementia as a public health priority task, enhancing public awareness and friendly attitudes towards dementia, reducing dementia risk, strengthening the dementia diagnosis, treatment, and care network, popularizing support and assistance for family caregivers of people with dementia, establishing a dementia information collection and analysis platform, and promoting dementia research and innovative development.

Wu Hsi-wen, deputy director of the Long-Term Care Administration, told CNA today that the number of participating ministries in the Dementia Prevention and Care Policy Outline and Action Plan 3.0 has increased from 10 to 12, with the Council of Indigenous Peoples and the Ministry of Culture being the newly added ministries. The new responsible ministries will establish public service venue guidelines for dementia services in their respective jurisdictions, such as finance, catering and retail, transportation, and arts and culture.

Wu Hsi-wen emphasized that the Dementia Prevention and Care Policy Outline and Action Plan 3.0 not only includes people of all ages with dementia as service targets but also increases employment resource connections for younger-onset dementia, creating a dementia-friendly environment and services, and establishing easy-to-read dementia websites at all government levels.

Wu Hsi-wen stated that efforts will continue to improve Taiwan's dementia-friendly related indicator targets, including the rate of support and training received by family caregivers of people with dementia, the rate of people with dementia receiving diagnosis and services, and the rate of the general public having correct knowledge and friendly attitudes towards dementia.

With the continuous increase in the number of people with dementia, legislators recently pointed out that the "dementia diversion" policy is not effective. Wu Hsi-wen responded that in conjunction with the Dementia Prevention and Care Policy Outline and Action Plan 3.0, the diversion of care for dementia will continue to be promoted. As dementia progresses, care needs change, and individuals with very mild to mild dementia are encouraged to participate in cognitive promotion and dementia mitigation prevention services at dementia centers to achieve the effect of delaying dementia.

For individuals with moderate or severe dementia who often have functional impairment, Wu Hsi-wen encourages them to receive services at licensed long-term care institutions that have specific professional caregiver ratios and accessible facility and equipment standards, such as day care centers, small-scale multi-functional facilities, and residential institutions. This is intended to provide more professional and comprehensive support and care for people with dementia at all stages of the disease, thereby reducing the burden on family caregivers.

The policy management and evaluation level of the Dementia Prevention and Care Policy Outline and Action Plan 3.0 has been elevated to the Executive Yuan. It is planned that each ministry will regularly report its previous year's execution results to the "Long-Term Care Promotion Group" of the Executive Yuan annually, continuously improving the quality and effectiveness of policy promotion and responding to the expectations of all sectors of society for the development of dementia care. (Editor: Li Shu-hua) 1150702

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