Newsletter No. 360

No. 360, 19.6.2010 （接上頁 Continued ） 胡教授說：「大學的研究，有些要十幾甚至幾十年後才看到用途，但有 些卻可以馬上付諸實踐。流金匯的服務就是以後者為基礎。大學這類 學術項目所得的研究結果，所提出的創新構想，目的是幫助社會，如果 不能轉化成服務幫人，那就等於沒做。流金匯就是把學術成果化成行 動的最後一步。」 對於香港現有的長者照顧服務，胡教授認為還很不足，而且不是從長 者的角度策劃，社區的環境設計也沒有照顧長者的需要。她說：「沒有 甚麼人管，我覺得很奇怪，始終人人都會老，所以你應該預備一下，搞 好一點。」 流金匯還在草創階段，很多做法還在摸索中，胡教授希望這種自負盈 虧的模式成功，那就可以讓政府或其他民間組織複製，幫助更多人。 Professor Woo says, ‘For some studies conducted by universities, it takes years to realize their practical applications, while others are immediately. The services of the CADENZA Hub are based on the latter. The research results and innovative ideas generated from these studies are aimed at helping society. If they cannot be translated into something useful for helping people, they are done in vain. The CADENZA Hub is the last step of translating research results into actions.’ In the eye of Professor Woo, the services for senior citizens in Hong Kong are far from adequate and are not designed from the perspective of the users, that is, senior citizens. And the community environment is not friendly to senior citizens either. She says, ‘I’m surprised that nobody cares about this. Everyone will be old. You have to prepare for it.’ The CADENZA Hub is still in its infancy. They are still trying to develop good practices. Professor Woo hopes that this self-sustaining model can be successful, then it can be copied by the government or NGOs to help more people. 癡呆症正名比賽 Renaming Competition for Dementia Dementia這個與大腦認知能力衰退有關的病症一般中譯為癡呆症，為消除這個名稱或會產生的誤解和歧視，耆智園特舉 行正名比賽，希望集思廣益，創作出更貼切、更合適的中文名稱。截止日期為7月15日，詳情請瀏覽耆智園網頁 www.jccpa. org.hk/c-renaming.html 。 To avoid the misunderstanding and discrimination caused by the Chinese name of dementia, JCCPA is now holding a renaming competition for dementia, an illness that entails the loss of cognitive ability. The deadline is 15 July. The JCCPA website www.jccpa.org.hk/c-renaming.html has details. 賽馬會耆智園 Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing 還 記得電影《女人四十》中，蕭芳芳為照顧 患上老人癡呆症的公公喬宏，弄得疲於奔 命、心力交瘁的景況嗎？隨着香港人 口老化，老人癡呆症患者愈來愈多， 這部十五年前的電影情節，今天已成 了許多家庭要面對的生活寫照。 中大醫學院內科及藥物治療學系郭 志銳教授（ 圖 ）說：「老人癡呆症不 單是醫療問題，還是社會問題。家裏 有人患病，患者家屬承受很大身心壓 力。全香港有幾萬名癡呆症患者，那 表示有幾萬個家庭要面對這問題。」 根據2001年本港的人口普查結果， 六十五歲以上的長者接近七十五萬，佔總人口百分 之十一。據2006年衞生署及中大的研究顯示，平均 每十名六十五歲以上人士就有一人患上老人癡呆 症，即目前全港已約有七萬多名患者。 《女人四十》在1995年上映時，社會上為老人癡呆 症患者而設的服務極為缺乏，五年後的2000年，中 大獲得香港賽馬會贊助成立耆智園，並負責管理。 郭志銳教授就是耆智園現任總監。 大學除了具有豐富的學術知識外，還有一項較一般 慈善機構強的優勢，那就是藉着頻繁的國際交流， 能把外國的新做法、新思維帶進香港。 位於沙田醫院旁的耆智園，無論環境和設施都遠 較一般同類機構優勝。園內闢設花園，種有各種 花草，除了令環境優美外，還能借助花園的聲音、 顏色、光線、觸覺及花香，刺激長者各項感官。室 內的各種設施甚至桌椅都是特別為老人癡呆症患 者設計。 耆智園為老人癡呆症患者提供日間護理和短期住 宿服務，利用書法治療、環境治療和音樂治療等療 法，減慢患者的智力退化和維持其生活質素。 此外，耆智園還進行各種與老人癡呆症有關的研 究。另一項重要工作是為照顧者提供培訓和支援， 除了面對面的培訓外，他們還嘗試用電話和開發網 上系統為照顧者提供訓練，目的是減低患者家人的 壓力。郭教授說：「就像在《女人四十》中，前半段 媳婦覺得公公很難相處，後半段似乎比較容易接 受。其實公公一樣是那麼難相處，但當你明白他為 甚麼會這樣，你就懂得去處理。」 香港人均壽命長，長者人口比例自然高，故老人癡 呆症患者也多。與鄰近地方相比，本港對老人癡呆 症患者的照顧服務也發展得較早，耆智園尤其走在 最前頭，所以經常有國內外團體來訪汲取經驗。 正如郭教授所說：「耆智園是大學把專業知識和研 究貢獻社會的好例子，尤其當發現社會上很缺乏或 根本沒有某類服務時，我們就應起帶頭作用。」 I f you’ve seen Ann Hui’s film, Summer Snow , you may remember how the life of Josephine Siao’s character is thrown into turmoil after her father-in-law is stricken by dementia. As the Hong Kong population ages, the city has more and more dementia patients. The scenes depicted in that movie 15 years ago are now realities facing many families today. Prof. Kwok Chi-yui Timothy (photo), professor in the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, says, ‘Dementia is not just a medical issue. It’s a social issue. When one member of a family suffers from the illness, the whole family is under great pressure. There are tens of thousands of people with dementia in Hong Kong. That means there are tens of thousands of families in dire straits.’ The 2001 Population Census shows that Hong Kong has nearly 750,000 people aged 65 or above, accounting for 11 per cent of the entire population. A study conducted by the Department of Health and CUHK in 2006 estimated that 10 per cent of those aged 65 or above showed symptoms of dementia. That means there are about 70,000 dementia patients in the city. When Summer Snow showed in 1995, Hong Kong was in dire need of services for dementia patients. Five years later in 2000, with funding from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, CUHK established the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing (JCCPA) to fill the gaps. The centre is managed by CUHK and Professor Kwok is now its director. Besides academic and professional knowledge, the University enjoys another edge over ordinary social organizations in running such a centre, that is, it can bring new ideas and practices to Hong Kong through its international exchanges. Located near Shatin Hospital, JCCPA has incomparable environment and facilities. It has a garden that serves as a wonderful source of sensory stimulation. All equipment and furniture including tables and chairs in the centre are specially designed for dementia patients. JCCPA provides day care and short-term residential services for its clients. In the centre, a wide variety of therapies like calligraphy therapy, milieu therapy and music therapy are used to slow down dementia patients’ loss of cognitive ability and improve their quality of life. Conducting dementia-related research is also an important part of its work. Its other task is to provide training and support to caregivers to reduce their stress. Besides face-to-face training, JCCPA also provides telephone-delivered training and is developing an online system for this purpose. Professor Kwok says, ‘In the first half of Summer Snow , the protagonist finds her father-in-law’s behaviour unbearable. But he seems to be easier to get along with in the latter half of the movie. In fact, his behaviour has not changed. But when you know the causes of it, it is easier for you to handle the problems.’ Given the high proportion of seniors in Hong Kong’s population and its long life expectancy, the city sees a rapid surge of dementia cases. Compared with our neighbours, Hong Kong has more well-developed services for dementia patients with JCCPA as a pioneer. So, many organizations from in and outside the country have visited JCCPA to learn from its experience. As Professor Kwok says, ‘JCCPA is an excellent example of contributing the University’s knowledge and research findings to the well-being of the community. We are obliged to take the lead to fill the void when something necessary is lacking in our society.’