HONG KONG (Reuters) – China has launched a national plan to tackle the rapid rise in dementia, which authorities say is becoming a “widespread public concern” and poses a “huge challenge” to the health of the elderly and their families.
Aging is a growing concern in the world's second largest economy, with China's group of people aged 60 and over expected to increase by at least 40% to more than 400 million by 2035, equivalent to the population of Britain and the United States combined.
Fifteen Chinese government departments, including the National Health Commission, have contributed to the plan to tackle dementia. The proposal outlines seven key tasks and targets to be achieved by 2030, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.
“With the aging population and rising average life expectancy, the number of people with dementia in China continues to grow, becoming a public concern,” Xinhua said.
A continuous program “to prevent and control mental retardation, covering prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and care, will be established by 2030”, said Xinhua.
The rise of dementia will be controlled by more widespread mental health screening in the elderly, with early intervention proven for those most at risk, it said.
China has more than 16 million people with mental illness, including Alzheimer's disease, the most common type, according to the 2024 official report.
The number of dementia patients in the country accounts for nearly 30% of the country's total, it said.
Care services for seniors with dementia will be expanded, according to the plan. Care units dedicated to elderly people with dementia should account for more than 50% of care centers for the elderly, while the number of trained dementia workers should reach 15 million by 2030 under the plan.