A former mining town 30km from the Taiwanese capital Taipei, Pingxi has the oldest population in the country. Over a third of its 4,000 residents are over 65, and about 120 of them are living with dementia.

Lin Su Lan and her sister Hsiu Huan were born in Pingxi. Together they run a heritage-listed Japanese tea house and a BnB. Source: Supplied

While the concept of ‘dementia villages’ — artificially built communities that aim to mimic a town to improve the standard of living for people with dementia — is known around the world, what makes Pingxi unique is that the government has built dementia care within an existing community.

It means its elderly residents, most vulnerable to developing dementia, can continue to live in place, with immediate access to care and support without having to move to a new environment.

Taiwan’s population is rapidly aging, becoming what’s known as a super-aged society, where one out of every five people is now over the age of 65.

Exercise and social activities are a crucial part of dementia care in Pingxi, as they have been proven to help slow cognitive decline. Source: SBS / Louis Dai

“The latest statistics show that there are about 350,000 people suffering from dementia in Taiwan in 2024. If we push it forward another twenty years, it will be 680,000,” Lee said.

Almost $3 billion billion was spent on dementia care in Australia in 2021, most of which went into high care needs. But it’s estimated 50 per cent of people with dementia in Australia remain undiagnosed.

What makes Pingxi dementia-friendly

To help make Pingxi a safer place for people with dementia to live, the town has implemented a dementia “guardian angel” network. Now, 60 per cent of local businesses are trained by the local government to recognise dementia symptoms and better understand how to interact with people living with this condition.

Signs indicating local businesses in Pingxi that have completed dementia-friendly training. Source: SBS / Louis Dai

Some “guardian angels” have turned their businesses into rest areas, provide free lunches and meals, and keep a second copy of residents’ keys.

“But after receiving training, I learned communication skills, and my mindset changed. So the services and relationships have improved over time.”

Another grassroots initiative is a “buddy program”, where a person living with dementia is teamed up with a volunteer who regularly checks in on them.

Local grocer Lee Wen-Chuan understands the struggles of living with a dementia patient. His mother is now bed-ridden due to a late diagnosis. He has become one of the trained “guardian angels” who help people living with dementia and their families. Source: SBS / Louis Dai

There are also “brain-boosting” classes, such as communal exercise and dance classes as well as hands-on craft lessons, run by an NGO and local residents turned qualified instructors.

“We don’t think of dementia as just a problem of the brain,” says Dr Lin Tai Ren, the former director of Pingxi District Public Health Centre.

“Exercise therapy is the most effective for an elderly dementia patient. So the main reason why we keep encouraging elderly people to exercise is that we need to delay their disability from getting worse.”

Getting in early

Labelled ‘The Green Way Passage’, the town has established a diagnosis process that involves preliminary screening, followed by a visit to the closest hospital, a three-hour round-trip, to conduct MRI scans, blood tests, and a consultation, via the town’s so-called ‘dementia van’ — all of which are heavily subsidised by the government.

The main reason that makes Pingxi dementia-friendly is its streamlined diagnosis process that aims to catch the symptoms early. Source: SBS / Louis Dai

Further consultations and regular check-ups as well as prescriptions are then conducted in town or via home visits.