How can Alzheimer’s patients in Hong Kong buy ‘more golden hours’ with family?

About 9.7 per cent of residents aged 60 and above have dementia, according to official figures, with cases expected to reach 330,000 by 2039

In the third of a five-part Health Matters wellness series on ageing in Hong Kong, Victor Ting looks at how advances in early screening and new drug therapies are offering fresh hope for Alzheimer’s patients, as experts say the city must expand support efforts to meet rising demand.

For years, Hong Kong retiree Mary Chan* lived with a quiet fear that dementia ran in her family.

The 65-year-old grandmother would sometimes misplace her belongings in public – incidents she brushed off as part of normal ageing.

But when she one day forgot her bank account password at an ATM she used daily, she realised something was wrong.

She sought help and was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s disease.

For nearly a decade before that, Chan had lived with a sense of looming threat – a fear that her memory, and with it her ability to recognise loved ones and navigate daily life, could unravel at any time.

Now, with answers at last, she said a weight had been lifted and she could begin to manage what lay ahead.