CLP Power to help dementia sufferers
Social workers are joining forces with one of the city's biggest corporations to help the growing number of elderly people suffering from dementia.
More than 100 staff from CLP Power have volunteered to help raise funds this week for people with the condition.
About 70,000 people aged 70 or older in Hong Kong suffer from dementia. The number is expected to rise to 110,000 by 2020 as the population ages.
A new CLP Power programme, organised jointly with the Hong Kong Council of Social Services and more than 30 social service organisations, aims to help 5,000 elderly people with early symptoms who need financial assistance.
The programme, called Care for the Elderly 2007 - Active Mind, will start on Friday, World Alzheimer's Day, and run for a year.
On Friday, volunteers will mount a city-wide fund-raiser with proceeds going to more than 70 centres for the elderly.
Every HK$100 donated will be matched by CLP Power.
Volunteers will be trained to help dementia specialists working on cognitive assessments and memory training for early detection and prevention.
Betty Yuen, managing director of CLP Power, said: 'With this partnership, not only will we further our commitment to the 'Care for the Elderly' initiatives, but we will also seek to help the community address the rise in dementia resulting from the ageing population of Hong Kong and to increase public awareness of the ways to prevent it.'
Jane Tsuei, business director for service development at HKCSS, added: 'The 'Care for the Elderly' programme has built an alliance between the business sector, social welfare organisations and the community on an unprecedented scale, and created an effective platform for society to tackle the imminent challenges of an ageing population.'
Dementia is estimated to affect 6.5 per cent of Hong Kong people over 70.
