TOPIC

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.

last updated:

9 September, 2024

The Post also found that at least five dementia sufferers, all aged above 60, were reported missing by media and authorities in 2023. Photo: Elson LI

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.

25 Dec 2024 - 9:00AM

Dementia

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

‘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.

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 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.

Love eating seaweed? Good news: it might help head off Parkinson’s disease

Japanese researchers discover a form of brown algae ‘appears to protect against neurodegeneration’ thanks to its antioxidant properties.

How to delay dementia? New screening test, drug may help

On World Alzheimer’s Day, we examine how a timely diagnosis can prepare someone with early dementia, and the pros and cons of a new drug.

How the eyes are windows into our health and why we should get them tested

An eye test can reveal many conditions, from high blood pressure to thyroid disease and diabetes, and preserving good eyesight can stave off dementia.

Weight-loss drugs help with heart attack, stroke, fertility, kidneys

Ozempic and similar weight-loss drugs can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney and liver disease, and even increase fertility.

What it’s like when a parent with dementia forgets you’re their child

In an excerpt from her new book, Anthea Rowan, whose mother had Alzheimer’s disease, highlights the struggle loved ones face when a parent with dementia no longer remembers their name or relationship.

Caring for someone with dementia can be stressful. 10 tips for how to cope

To begin World Alzheimer’s Month and to mark the coming World Carers’ Day, we offer advice for carers of dementia patients, including tips from a professor of dementias.

How to lower the risk of dementia? Reduce your ‘bad’ cholesterol

LDL cholesterol is not just bad for our hearts, but can increase our risk of dementia too, a Lancet review reveals. Changes to our diet can lower the level of ‘bad’ cholesterol in our bodies.

Worried about memory loss? An expert explains memory and how to save it

Forget your phone? Can’t find your car keys? An expert explains how memory works, the things in life that can make it worse, and how to safeguard and improve yours.

Lifestyle changes can help reverse Alzheimer’s disease, study says

New Alzheimer’s disease research finds that a plant-based diet, strength training exercise and meditation can help reverse the symptoms of the most common type of dementia.

Online apps can keep your brain healthy, but there are other ways too

Playing mind game apps can help fight dementia, as long as they are challenging and preferably unfamiliar, say experts. Reading, doing jigsaw puzzles and playing chess are also beneficial.

Want to be healthy into old age? How the Mediterranean diet helps

From reducing inflammation and pain from arthritis and lowering cholesterol to improving brain and heart health, the Mediterranean diet can help you age extremely well, an expert says.

How you can have Alzheimer’s genes without the symptoms of dementia

People with two copies of the APOE4 gene, one inherited from each parent, will very likely develop biological signs of Alzheimer’s disease, but cognitive function may not suffer, dementia study says.

Lack of exercise puts 1.8 billion at risk, but it’s never too late to start

Inactivity increases risk of serious disease – a problem facing almost 1.8 billion people and rising, according to the WHO. However, research shows it is never too late to take up exercise that prolongs life.

How extra virgin olive oil in your food may help prevent dementia

A key ingredient in the Mediterranean and Mind diets, extra virgin olive oil may help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease by clearing toxic proteins, as well as provide other health benefits.

Is your job mentally stimulating? It could protect you against dementia

The most cognitively challenging jobs help to build what’s known as cognitive reserve, which scientists believe delays the onset of dementia, according to a recent Norwegian study.