Senile dementia care center opens

BEIJING, Dec. 20 -- A care center for people with senile dementia opened here this week, as part of the government's efforts to provide better care for the city's aging population, officials have said.
Sponsored by the Shanghai municipal civil affairs bureau, and located at the Shanghai No 3 Social Welfare Institution, the design and function of the center is based on similar facilities in the Netherlands.
The five-story center can accommodate up to 250 dementia patients, all of whom are placed according to the severity of their condition.
Zhu Xiaofeng, vice-president of the Shanghai No 3 Social Welfare Institution, said: "The setting of the center is unique and its family-like ambience is unlike most elderly care apartment complexes."
Patients are even allowed to bring their own furniture and curtains to help them get more quickly accustomed to their new environment, he said.
"Despite losing their short-term memory, patients retain their long-term memory. So an unfamiliar environment can increase levels of anxiety," he said.
To prevent patients getting lost in the center, all of its doors are fitted with infrared sensors, which can monitor individuals' whereabouts, he said.
Senile dementia is a disease caused by the degeneration of brain cells. It differs from normal senility in that brain function deteriorates gradually, resulting in the progressive loss of memory and mental abilities, and noticeable personality changes.
People suffering from senile dementia need specialized care and support, a worker at the civil affairs bureau said.
According to official figures, as of the end of last year, Shanghai had 2.76 million residents aged 60 and above, equivalent to 20 percent of the total population.