Hospital offers mobile dementia screening for elders / 屏基醫院行動失智檢測 偏鄉長者篩檢更方便　　　　　　　　　　

According to statistics, the number of people with dementia in remote areas is twice larger than in the six municipalities. Moreover, dementia patients in remote areas rarely realize that they have the disease and therefore seldom seek medical help. In light of this, the Pingtung Christian Hospital dispatches mobile clinics to provide dementia screening for elders. Although the 86-year-old is hale and hearty, she has forgotten how old she is. The nurse visited her home in Pingtung County, and helped to examine whether she has dementia. In remote areas, people rarely realize that they have dementia and thus seldom seek medical help. ==CHEN JOU-CHEN, Nursing Supvr. of Wutan Community's residential services== Only when the elders experience moderate or severe dementia do their family notice that there is something wrong. They are surprised that the elders have forgotten how to urinate and defecate. This is when they find out that the elders are suffering dementia. Although dementia is common among elders, people in remote areas have limited knowledge about the disease. The Pingtung Christian Hospital found that the number of people with dementia in remote areas is two times higher than in the six municipalities. Many patients wait until they begin to show serious symptoms before going to see a doctor, but it is often too late. Therefore, the hospital sent mobile clinics to provide screening tests for dementia and to educate people about the importance of early diagnosis. ==CHI MEI-HSIA, Initiator of the mobile clinic for dementia screening tests== Since we only provide screening tests for dementia, we encourage people to go to the hospital and receive a thorough examination. The most important thing is that they are willing to come here and let us know more about them first. As they become more familiar with us, they will be more willing to accept our advice to go to the hospital and confirm their diagnosis. The new service not only helps determine dementia at an early stage, but also makes people more willing to receive medical treatment. TRANSLATED BY：ARIEL HSIEH 86歲的孔奶奶，身體還很硬朗，但今年幾歲卻忘了，護理師親自到她位在屏東縣泰武鄉武潭部落的家，幫她檢測是否罹患失智症，因為在偏鄉民眾主動，發現失智症並且就醫的情況並不多。 ==武潭社區居服督導 陳柔辰== 要到家屬覺得很嚴重 到中度之後 他才會知道說 我們老人家 怎麼突然不會大便 不會小便了 才發現他原來是失智 這樣的普遍知道的訊息 其實還滿有限的 武潭有社區關懷據點，平時也會宣導失智症，但有的人不認為長輩記憶退化需要就醫。屏東基督教醫院發現，像這樣的偏鄉，失智症比例比六都高兩倍，患者也常常嚴重到個性改變，或生活無法自理才去就醫，但改善空間已經很有限。因此，屏基成立行動檢測小組，一台行動檢測車、3個女護理師，就能到宅服務，或者利用社區有活動、人潮多的時候，現場宣導與檢測。 ==失智行動檢測發起人 紀美霞== 我們是做初篩 但是還是 鼓勵他們 要去做醫院的確診 因為我們能到的 那要把他們帶出去 這才是重點 所以我們第一關來到他們這邊 至少他們認識我們 那我們要去完成後續的確診 他們也比較會接納我們 護理師改到偏鄉做檢測後，發現不只能夠補偏鄉資源不足，甚至在確診後，還能持續追蹤就醫情況，減少家屬和長輩抗拒就醫。 記者 王介村 孟昭權 SNG 屏東報導