In an effort to enhance elderly cognitive assessment techniques and promote prevention and control of Alzheimer’s disease in Macao, Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau (KWNC) recently invited local professionals of the social welfare field to go on a three-day exchange and learning trip to Hong Kong, under the Scholar Training Programme of “Benevolence Lights up my Later Life”. The trip was led by Dr. Zeng Wen, Associate Professor of KWNC, participated by Ms. Lam Wai Man and Ms. Wong Pui Man, Technicians of the Elderly Service Division of Social Welfare Bureau of Macao, Ms. Ma Pui Wan, Vice-Chairman of Board of Directors of Macao Alzheimer’s Disease Association, Ms. Ng Pou Chu, Head of I Chon Centre of General Union of Neighbourhood Associations of Macao, Ms. Leong Man Cheng, Social Worker of Carer Support Services of Longevity Special Day Care Center of Caritas Macau, Ms. Lai Sio Ian, Technician of KWNC, and Mr. Un Kin Cheong, clerical staff of KWNC.

The delegation of eight was warmly welcomed by Hong Kong Alzheimer’s Disease Association (HKADA) and was invited to pay visits to its subsidiary centres including Gene Hwa Lee Centre, Brain Health Centre and Jean Wei Centre. Gene Hwa Lee Centre provides a combination of services, including early detection service and carer support service. It also offers clients brain training by integrating the Chinese traditional six arts elements, namely interpersonal, music, visual-spatial, kinesthetic, linguistic and logic-mathematical for improving their physical and mental health and delaying degeneration. Ms. Lee Nga Yee, Occupational Therapist and Service Manager of the Centre, introduced to the delegation the Alzheimer’s disease assessment scale. Members of the delegation grasped the assessment and diagnosis techniques by observing the entire assessment given by professionals of the Centre. Brain Health Centre and Jean Wei Centre provide cognitive assessment services, and offer clients non-pharmacological therapies as well as different structured and suitable trainings to maintain their self-management abilities. In the Centres, delegation members took part in group activities with the elderly so as to experience the sensory therapy and reality orientation activity in person.

After paying visits to HKADA, the delegation went to Helping Hand Cheung Muk Tau Holiday Centre for the Elderly where Consultant Geriatrician Dr. Dai Lok Kwan of the Prince of Wales Hospital demonstrated the procedures of conducting elderly cognitive assessment and diagnosis, and discussed with delegation members the mode of assessment and treatment plan of Alzheimer’s disease. After that, the delegation paid a visit to Associate Consultant Dr. Tam Kui Fu and Senior Occupational Therapist Ms. Yiu Yan Mei of the Memory Clinic of the Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital. In the Clinic, the two experts conducted Alzheimer’s disease assessment for the elderly and helped with their problems together with the Clinic’s professional team.

By participating in the learning and exchange trip, delegation members have borrowed many advanced experiences of Alzheimer's disease prevention and control from Hong Kong, and through which they hope to develop a suitable assessment for Macao elderly. Meanwhile, the Nursing and Health Education Research Centre of KWNC is offering free cognitive assessment service for older people of Macao. For more information, please dial the Alzheimer's disease service hotline 2835 0001 which is available from Monday to Friday at 2:30 pm to 5:30pm.