TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Hualien Mennonites opened the county’s first dementia care center on Friday (Sept. 20) to provide care for those who experience psychological disturbances because of the disease.

The Shoufeng branch of the Mennonite Christian Hospital opened the center to care for individuals with severe dementia symptoms, per CNA. Director of the Shoufeng branch’s medical affairs department Wang Hsiung-yen (王迺燕) said the center will provide therapies and nutritional care that will help stabilize patients’ emotions.

The center is designed for those who experience “behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD),” Wang said at its opening ceremony. He said these symptoms can include hallucinations, anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior, wandering, and others.

A woman surnamed Wang (王) present at the opening said she has cared for her husband with dementia for many years, and that doing so had mentally and physically exhausted her. She said she was pleased the center had been established to reduce the burden of care for families.

Hualien County Magistrate Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚) said the center will be Hualien’s first opened under Taiwan’s dementia care plan published this year. Taiwan has 14 other dementia care centers opened under the government plan, Hsu said.

Dementia care centers established under the plan must provide support services for patients displaying BPSD for at least five days per week, according to the health ministry. A range of other regulations are outlined for regular reporting and minimum staff levels.

According to a health ministry survey conducted between 2020 and 2023, dementia affects just under 8% of people over the age of 65 in Taiwan. Among those, over 66% display BPSD symptoms.