In order to enable the elderly to further understand dementia, enhance their awareness of the risk factors leading to dementia, and implement preventive measures as soon as possible, Macao Polytechnic University Seniors Academy recently held a health seminar for the elderly on "Dementia Awareness" and invited Wu Jian Wei, the Vice Chair, Board of Directors of the Macau Alzheimer’s Disease Association as the guest speaker of this seminar.

Prior to the seminar, Wu first invited participants to play a dementia-test game together. Wu introduced the characteristics and common manifestations of dementia, including cognitive dysfunction, behavioral disorders, and weakened functions of daily life, and different case sharing and question-and-answer sessions were added during the explanation to strengthen their understanding of the content of the explanation; Wu then shared how to prevent dementia. He said that although advanced age is an important risk factor for dementia, more and more evidence shows that through aerobic exercise, hearing protection, balanced diet, social interaction, smoking cessation, alcohol restriction and management of chronic diseases etc., all help to reduce the risk of dementia. The booklet "Reducing the Risk of Dementia" was also presented to each participant to introduce the resources available from the local dementia community, so as to help them find appropriate support when needed.

Participants benefited a lot from this seminar, especially by gaining a deeper understanding of the characteristics and risk factors of dementia. Regarding the preventive measures for dementia shared by the speaker, some elderly said that studying at the Seniors Academy helps to reduce the risk of dementia, particularly through studying different courses such as Nutrition and Recipes of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qigong, etc. These kinds of courses help to better plan diet and improve physical fitness; moreover, participating in different activities inside and outside the academy, such as Performance Report and Volunteer Visits also greatly enriched social interactions.