A toy may be more than a plaything for a child. To dementia patients, it could be a way to buffer the invasion of the illness.

And put together in a toy workshop, both the young and old benefit - elderly dementia patients build up their alertness, while the children learn about the debilitating brain condition that includes the commonly known Alzheimer's disease.

The benefits of toy therapy are starting to show in Wong Mei-han, 77, after a year of twice-weekly sessions. Wong's husband Chau Shu-wa, 78, learned from a doctor that her dementia was advancing less severely.

Wong, who has mild to moderate dementia, does not respond well to others and sometimes needs her husband to guide her at the workshop.

"I have been a member of the toy library programme with my wife for around a year," said Chau, who accompanies her to each session, conducted at an elderly centre close to their home. "The doctor says it can slow her brain deterioration."

Now, the Charles K Kao Foundation for Alzheimer's Disease wants to rope in children for the programme in collaboration with the Lutheran Social Service.

They plan to sign up primary and secondary children through youth centres, along with 90 elderly patients recruited mainly via partner social service centres.

The workshops will be funded by Operation Santa Claus, the annual fundraising campaign organised jointly by the and RTHK.

Foundation co-founder Gwen Kao Wong May-wan, wife of Nobel physics laureate Charles Kao Kuen, said intergenerational integration was important in promoting awareness of the disease.

Introducing dementia to children would lay a foundation in spreading the word, she said.

"Grandparents and schoolchildren have great empathy [for each other] as they spend more time to play together. Children are like sponges … If they learn about Alzheimer's, they will remember it when they grow up."

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, an umbrella term describing the symptoms of memory and communication problems.

Karen Chow Kit-sum, of Sun Chui Lutheran Centre for the Elderly, said toys were useful in strengthening patients' mental abilities. "Playing can train the skills of calculation, matching and memory, at which the elderly are weak in general."

Kao said her husband, whose dementia is at the severe stage, enjoyed hitting balloons and stuffed toys that emitted sounds. "These are good at training his hand-eye coordination."

One in 10 Hongkongers aged at least 65 has dementia. Kao has advocated awareness of the disease since 2010. "The aim of Operation Santa Claus is to make people happy. If we can make the elderly happy, it is a real achievement," she said with a smile.

 

How you can give

  • Donate at an ATM or any branch of HSBC (account number 502-676299-001 for SCMP Charities Ltd - Operation Santa Claus)
  • You can donate with a cheque payable to "SCMP Charities Ltd - Operation Santa Claus" and mail it to: Operation Santa Claus, Morning Post Centre, 22 Dai Fat Street, Tai Po Industrial Estate, Tai Po, New Territories.
  • Donations of HK$100 or more are tax-deductible. If you would like a tax receipt, please send the completed donation form and original bank receipt to the address above.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Toys help people with dementia play for time