Dementia policy: An overview

Macau successfully met the WHO Global Action Plan’s target of a 50 per cent diagnosis rate well ahead of its 2026 deadline

Macau Business magazine l March 2026 | Special Report | Life in balance: steps into well-being

The Macau Dementia Policy was launched ten years ago to address the growing health and social challenges posed by an ageing population. It became the 27th dementia policy globally and is aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to Dementia 2017–2025.

The Policy includes a ten-year strategic framework (2016–2026) aimed at creating a “dementia-friendly community” through a seamless service network, according to official sources. Its primary goals focus on early intervention—achieving early prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and support for patients and their caregivers—and increasing public awareness of mental illness. The Government worked closely with NGOs to provide citywide education to reduce the stigma often associated with dementia in Chinese culture.

Another key objective involved strengthening medical services and social care through a streamlined referral and evaluation process. Among experts, this policy is widely known for its “5-Early” goals: early prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and support.

(Photo by Aries Un/Macau News Agency)

Macau Dementia Registry, the “critical tool”

To implement these goals, several specialised bodies and networks were established. The best known is the Dementia Working Group, formed at the policy’s launch to oversee implementation. A Dementia Medical Center was created for professional diagnosis and treatment, alongside a Dementia Support Center to provide community resources and assistance for patients and their families.

Where the Macau Dementia Policy stands out, however, is in the creation of the Macau Dementia Registry (MDR), considered the “critical tool” of the policy, as it facilitates population-level surveillance and monitoring of clinical care. Through the MDR, it became possible to track demographic and clinical characteristics, health service use, medications, and mortality of the dementia cohort. Cases are identified using assessment data from the Dementia Medical Center, all eleven Health Centres, and dementia medication prescribing records.

The MDR also allows Macau to collect data comparable to major international registries in Australia and Sweden, including diagnostic tests, cognitive scores, and anti-dementia medication use. As of May 2025, approximately 53 to 55 countries and territories have developed National Dementia Plans (NDPs), all generally aligned with the WHO Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to Dementia 2017–2025.

Waiting time for consultations reduced to less than one month

Since its launch, the Policy has led to significant improvements in Macau’s dementia care landscape, with the city often cited as “a model for resource integration and community-based care.” Macau successfully met the WHO Global Action Plan’s target of a 50 per cent diagnosis rate well ahead of its 2026 deadline. If pre-policy (2015), the diagnosis rate was 37.5 per cent, by 2018 it had reached 51.5 per cent.

Waiting times for consultations at the Dementia Medical Center have also been drastically reduced, from more than six months to less than one month.

To build a “Dementia-Friendly Community,” the Policy has fostered growing collaboration with more than 100 NGOs. Together, they form the “Alliance to Build Dementia-Friendly Macau,” participating in public education and risk-reduction activities.

To build a “Dementia-Friendly Community,” the Policy has fostered growing collaboration with more than 100 NGOs. Together, they form the “Alliance to Build Dementia-Friendly Macau,” participating in public education and risk-reduction activities.

Environmental adaptations and cognitive and social stimulation

One of the consequences of the creation of the Macau Dementia Policy has been an exponential increase in scientific publications on the subject, approached from a wide variety of perspectives.

Two recent studies converge on the idea that dementia in the elderly requires an approach that goes far beyond medication, encompassing environmental adaptations as well as cognitive and social stimulation.

Research involving Hong-Zhan Lai from the Department of Humanities and Arts at Macau University of Science and Technology concludes that inclusive urban design is crucial for “aging in place.” Enhancing the visibility of green spaces and supporting infrastructure can help mitigate the effects of cognitive and functional decline in the elderly.

In another study, conducted in collaboration with Agnes Iok Fong Lam from the Centre for Macau Studies at the University of Macau, the effects of Reminiscence Therapy on people with dementia were examined. The study concluded that, although results vary, reminiscence therapy is a valuable and low-cost tool for improving overall well-being and mental health in elderly people already suffering from dementia, while also combating social isolation.

Previous | Well-being: Government steps up