MORE COVERAGE: The package includes help for people with early onset dementia, as well as subsidies for medicine and care for those with the disorder, regardless of their age
By Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNA
The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday unveiled its dementia care 3.0 policy to provide improved care, community resources and National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage for dementia medications.
The policy aims to achieve an 80 percent diagnosis rate, care service coverage and accessibility in public-facing venues, the ministry said.
The policy is effective from the time of the announcement to 2035, it said.
People inquire about dementia care at Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital on Thursday last week.
Photo courtesy of Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital via CNA
The ministry said it is evaluating expanding NHI coverage for dementia drugs, subsidizing a larger range of specialist care, safety precautions, legal protections and efficiency in matching patients to medical care.
The package would include placing personnel at agencies and venues to recognize and help those with dementia, improve diagnosis rates and facilitate medical research, the ministry said.
Subsidies for dementia medicine and care would apply to people with the condition regardless of age to facilitate early medical intervention, which is crucial for alleviating the disorder’s symptoms, it said.
The policy aims to help people with early-onset dementia who could be working to support families, by providing early medical intervention, assistance in finding new jobs and community resources, it added.
It would also give dementia patients treatment, subsidies and help for family-related issues and specialized care appropriate to the disorder’s severity, it said.
People with early onset dementia who are working to support themselves or their families would receive occupational counseling in finding suitable jobs, the ministry said.
Dementia can debilitate a person’s memory, judgement and communication skills impacting their ability to have a normal life, it said.
Guidelines would be drafted for public-facing venues — including those related to finances, restaurants and food, transportation and cultural industries — to provide specialist services for people with dementia, the ministry said.
The ministry is in the process of establishing community resources at the district and township level, relationships with charity groups and training programs for “guardian angels,” and measures to protect dementia patients’ finances and physical safety, it said.
Increasing the number of certified trustees managing funds on behalf of dementia patients and the ability to find lost patients are also among the policy’s goals, it added.