Taiwan’s rapidly aging society is facing a related crisis with the sharp rise in the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease, doctors and civic groups warned April 13.
Although Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging, “as the life span gets longer, the chance of getting it also increases,” said Chiu Ming-zhang, a physician and chairman of the Taiwan Alzheimer’s Disease Association. He noted that for those between the ages of 65 and 69 the incidence of the disease is 1.2 percent, but by age 85 three to four people out of 10 may have it.
According to the association, 190,000 Taiwanese had Alzheimer’s at the end of 2011. It is estimated that more than 620,000 will have the disease by 2046, 10 years earlier than was previously predicted.
At this rate, by 2056 the number of people with Alzheimer’s will reach 720,000, or four out of every 100.
“We need to worry about the range of impacts on families and society, and get ready to respond as early as possible,” Chiu said. He explained that cognitive difficulties caused by the disease seriously interfere with a patient’s daily life, and thus also the lives of caregivers.
Care is the most difficult challenge, as some symptoms demand round-the-clock attention from family members, said Chang Mei-chun, deputy head of TADA’s family organization.
“Sometimes it’s just so maddening that you want to die, and take the patient with you,” she said, adding that her situation changed for the better after she joined the mutual-help home established by TADA.
This home, the country’s first, was created in a Taipei residential space donated by the family of former President Chen Shui-bian last year.
“Here patients have companions and entertainment, while caregiving families may exchange feelings and learn care skills from each other,” said Tang Li-yu, secretary-general of the association.
The facility has helped over 50 families in the past year, costing a mere NT$1 million (US$33,830), Tang said.
Tang urged the government to create more such mutual-help facilities throughout the country. “A bit of investment could save the government from shouldering the burden of care,” she said. (THN)