Responding for our dear ones

We have a special term in Cantonese, chan chik pang yauh, that we use when we're talking about our larger circle of family and intimate friends. These include "uncles" and "aunties" and "sisters" who aren't blood relatives but who have been close and dear to us over the years.

Recently, one of the chan chik pang yau in my family circle suddenly developed dementia.

She is in her 90s and can't recognize us any more. Even worse, because of pandemic restrictions we can't go to visit her in her elderly care home.

It's heartbreaking. But the most worrisome (and unanticipated), complication of her illness is that she can no longer competently handle her own affairs. And she does not have any blood relations nearby to step in.

Hong Kong is an aging society as we all know.

The Hospital Authority estimates that 20-30 percent of Hongkongers over 80 suffer from dementia and/or Alzheimers. The impact of this reverberates across generations since sooner or later many of us will be caregivers and decision-makers for an incapacitated elderly family member.

As I try to help my own family member, I've been learning more about the legal issues concerning elders and dementia. In that, I've found a great resource in MIP Care, a new charitable organization focused on giving support to caregivers and professionals working with mentally incapacitated persons.

If you find yourself dealing with these issues in your family I recommend visiting the group's informative website: https://mipcrc.org.hk

Bernard Charnwut Chan is chairman of Tai Kwun Cultural & Arts Co

standard@bernardchan.com