Initiated in February 2017, “Dementia Community Support Scheme” (DCSS) is a two-year pilot scheme launched by the Food and Health Bureau (FHB), in collaboration with the Hospital Authority (HA) and the Social Welfare Department (SWD). The pilot scheme was funded by the Community Care Fund and implemented from February 2017 to January 2019, with an ultimate goal of utilising collaboration of social and medical support at primary care level and specialist care to form an integrated support network for the patients in the long run. Four HA clusters and 20 District Elderly Community Centres1 (DECCs) participated in the Pilot Scheme to provide support services to elderly persons with mild or moderate dementia and their carers in the community through a “medical-social collaboration” model so as to enhance their functional level and quality of life, and relieve carers’ burden.
Under DCSS, elderly persons with mild or moderate dementia and their carers are arranged to attend structured intervention programmes based on an individual Integrated Care Plan (ICP) at the DECCs, with an aim to delay their functional and cognitive decline. DCSS also aims at enhancing the capacity and expertise of the staff of NGOs at the community level in the provision of dementia support services to elderly persons, so that in the long run, reliance on HA specialist services may be alleviated when those suffering from early dementia and their carers can acquire relevant support services in the community. Over a two year period, the pilot scheme served over 2000 elderly persons with dementia and their carers. The feedback from the participating patients and their carers was overall positive; the evaluation study conducted by Sau Po Centre on Ageing of the University of Hong Kong also suggests generally effective implementation.
From February 2019 onwards, Dementia Community Support Scheme is regularised and extended to all 41 DECCs and seven HA clusters in the territory. The 20 DECCs and four HA clusters which participated in the pilot scheme would continue to provide support services and the other 21 DECCs and three HA clusters join DCSS from May 2019 onwards.
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