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Dementia

Dementia
This condition – which robs people of their memory, their ability to think and make decisions – affects more than 55 million worldwide. Here’s where you’ll learn what you can do about dementia, from changing your lifestyle to lower your risk of getting it to spotting the warning signs in older people. Discover the latest news on potential drugs to treat, even cure, the disease, and the best ways to manage it.
Chi Longevity with Sparkd fuses physical and cognitive training. Photo: Chi Longevity with Sparkd
Wellness

Want to live longer in good health? Longevity wellness gyms may help

‘Brain-body’ workouts mix physical and cognitive training to extend health spans. Other gyms use long-established therapies to slow ageing.

Wellness

The more your waist expands, the bigger the loss of brain capacity later on

Wellness

10 things about dementia to ask a doctor to keep your brain healthy

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Fame and celebrity

Who is talk show host Wendy Williams’ former husband, Kevin Hunter?

The 60-year-old TV star, whose outing to New York restaurant Tucci is being described as ‘illegal’, was married to executive producer Hunter for 2 decades, but says he often cheated on her.

Wendy Williams’ ex-husband Kevin Hunter is in a legal battle with her guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, under investigation for elder abuse. Photo: Getty Images
Wellness

You can help avoid microplastics getting into your body. Experts share tips

Scientists explain how to protect yourself beyond avoiding plastic bottles as increasing amounts of microplastics are found in our bodies.

Wellness

Why dementia patients benefit from having cats and dogs around

It is known that keeping pets can support better mental health. In the case of dementia patients they also give them purpose and comfort.

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Wellness

Analogue wellness trend puts digital life on pause

Amid a resurgence of retro Polaroids and vinyl records, many are cutting out screen time to pursue hobbies from board games to blacksmithing.

From snapping Polaroids to playing vinyl records, the return to pre-digital, or analogue, activities has extended to wellness in 2025, with many favouring in-real-life activities as evidence of the links between screen time and mental illness grows. Photo: Getty Images
Wellness

Your life is largely in your hands, not your genes, study shows

It’s easy to blame ill-health on genes, but how we live from childhood onwards is shown to be a bigger reason for disease and early death.

Wellness

Dementia’s link to blood-vessel health and how to keep yours healthy

Lifestyle changes and medicine for cardiovascular problems may help lower the risks of blood vessel damage and so keep dementia at bay.

Wellness

Feeling lonely? How dementia risk goes up with social isolation

Studies show that higher levels of loneliness and social isolation – especially in older adults – are linked to greater dementia risk.

Thinking you are old - or accepting the ageism that society thrusts upon you - can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, so you will be less likely to try new things. This can lead to a higher risk of developing dementia, according to research. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

What’s having dementia like? This experience reveals the pain, frustration

A psychologist’s ‘virtual dementia tours’ are designed to build sensitivity and awareness in those caring for others with the condition.

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An employee of Second Wind Dreams in the US struggles with a simple folding task while wearing gloves, which interfere with dexterity - as arthritis might - on a virtual dementia tour that simulates the challenges of the condition. Photo: Second Wind Dreams
Wellness

Dementia risk for obese, physically inactive teens found by study

Teenagers and their parents had better watch out. An unhealthy lifestyle in childhood has been linked to the onset of dementia in adulthood.

Wellness

5 simple checks for dementia, starting with a clock drawing test

Is it dementia? A popular neurologist uses five simple tests of cognitive function to help gauge the health of a patient’s brain.

Wellness

Hong Kong researcher on how TCM could be used to fight dementia

A neuroscientist describes how traditional Chinese medicine may provide modern solutions to preserving cognitive function as we age.

Researchers, including in Hong Kong, have been looking at the potential of traditional Chinese medicine to treat dementia, cases of which are forecast to rise as the elderly population grows. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
Wellness

How gender stereotyping of girls with ADHD delays diagnosis often until adulthood

Despite signs of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder during childhood, it is often not diagnosed until adulthood, especially in women.

In many girls, ADHD presents itself predominantly as inattention. They tend to be dreamy, shy, slow and unobtrusive rather than hyperactive and impulsive. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong society

Call for Hong Kong to subsidise smart trackers for dementia sufferers

Technology can prove invaluable in helping to locate residents with the condition who have gone missing, experts and groups say.

Wellness

How to ensure a happy Christmas for a loved one with dementia

The festive season can be confusing and noisy for those with dementia, but these expert tips will help everyone enjoy the occasion.

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Wellness

More muscles, bigger brain. How weight training can help the mind as we age

Studies show that retaining muscle mass as you age, especially through resistance training, may help safeguard your cognitive health.

Some of the brain changes from resistance exercise persist for months even after training has stopped, a neuroscientist says. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

How frailty and dementia are linked, and how to stave off both

Being frail raises the risk of cognitive decline as we age, studies show. Exercise and a healthy diet can help avoid it, researcher says.

Video | The heavy toll of dementia on sufferers and their families

In Hong Kong, 1 out of 10 people over the age of 70 are diagnosed with dementia, which is a general reason for declining brain function.

Wellness

How air pollution increases dementia risk and ways to limit exposure

People living in polluted areas are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia types, studies show.

Visibility is reduced as haze affects Hong Kong today, Central. 30DEC23 SCMP/ Dickson Lee
Wellness

Bruce Willis’ stutter masked his dementia, actor’s wife says

‘Just a part of a stutter,’ Emma Heming Willis thought. Then came dementia diagnosis. She’s writing a book to remind carers about self-care.

Willis at the UK premiere of Glass in 2019. Photo: EPA/EFE
Wellness

Have you heard about Apple AirPods Pro 2’s new hearing aid feature?

The AirPods’ ability to serve as hearing aids may help more people with hearing loss access the tools they need for better overall health.

Wellness

The early signs of dementia, from falls to rudeness to driving problems

Memory loss is not the only early warning sign of dementia conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Experts describe other symptoms to watch for.

Wellness

Want to prevent dementia? Do exercise, experts say. Here’s why

Any type of exercise is good for your brain, experts say, as it reduces blood pressure and inflammation, increases good proteins, and more.

Multiple studies have found that exercise is good for the brain and can help prevent dementia. One study found that senior participants who took part in high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on a treadmill did better on memory tests six months later than those who took part in lower-intensity training exercises. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

‘Carefluencers’ share experience and advice online for fellow carers

Carers in Hong Kong are using social media to share their experiences, offer advice, review products and information, and lift up others.

“Carefluencer” Merida Cheung with her grandmother Stella Yeung. Photo: Edmond So
Wellness

The everyday foods and drinks that could lower your dementia risk

Consuming flavonoids, pigments in foods such as berries and red onion and drinks like tea and wine, has been linked to a lower dementia risk.

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong equality watchdog urges employers to support staff with dementia

Advice from Equal Opportunities Commission includes giving staff with condition familiar tasks and putting up clear workplace signage.

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