Eisai China Joins Hands with Partners to Kick off “Alzheimer’s Care” for the Well-being of Chinese Families
On September 15, 2017, China Population Welfare Foundation, Alzheimer’s Disease Chinese (ADC) and Eisai China Inc. (ECI) jointly kicked off the “Yellow Bracelet” activity for caring the patients with Alzheimer‘s disease. In line with the corporate philosophy of “human health care (hhc)” and according to the actual situation of Chinese patients, Eisai introduced into China the experiences for the treatment and care of the aging people of Japan in hope of continuously enhancing the attention of the whole Chinese society to the Alzheimer’s Disease and improving the grim situation of China‘s insufficient treatments and care concerning this disease through upgrading the entire solution that covering recognition, trainings and care. Chairman Hao Linna of China Population Welfare Foundation, professor Wang Luning from Alzheimer’s Disease Chinese, Professor Xie Hengge from the General Hospital of People‘s Liberation Army of China, Professor Wang Huali from Peking University Sixth Hospital (Institute of Mental Health), Professor Liu Xueyuan from the Tenth People’s Hospital Affricated to Tongji University, Professor He Jincai from the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Mr. Kaneko Norio, the president of ECI and Ms. Feng Yanhui, the General Manager of ECI attended the conference and delivered speeches. The guests jointly kicked off the “Alzheimer‘s Care” activity and witnessed the important moment.
Since the establishment of the company, Eisai made “hhc” as its mission and the criterion of the company’s operation and charity activities. “In Eisai, every employee gives first thought to patients and their families, and to increasing the benefits that health care provides them. Every year the Eisai employees spend 1% of their working time practicing the hhc mission together with the patients, experiencing their sufferings in a bid to provide better services for them. Eisai carries out extensive health activities according to the needs of different countries. For example, Eisai opened clinics and provided free clinical services, patient-care services and doctor educations in India, Thailand, Philippines, Britain, Canada, and etc. In India, Eisai has provided over 1,000 free clinic services for patients with Alzheimer‘s disease. The amount of patients with Alzheimer’s disease got treatments there increased about 6 times in 5 years since Eisai opened memory clinics there and trained relevant medical staff. Eisai also brings this mission to China,” said Mr. Kaneko Norio, the President of ECI when talking about the original purpose of the “hhc” activities.
The “World Alzheimer Report 2016” indicated that the figure of patients with Alzheimer‘s disease showed a rapid growth in China and the country saw a stark contrast of the huge patient amount to the insufficient treatment and care. Only a few patients accepted standard diagnosis, and a considerable proportion of patients were mistaken for experiencing a natural part of the aging process and missed the best treatment time. What’s more, the coverage rate of professional medical care resources was obviously insufficient. Based on the current situation, the “Alzheimer‘s Care” activity will establish a community-centered, comprehensive, hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system and a professional home-care platform, which help combat the disease with 5 practical measures as follow:
Firstly, to strengthen the education to potential patients
Distribute yellow bracelets to more elderly and help them better use it. Enhance the technology of the yellow bracelet and enrich the relevant functions to reduce the risk of old people from getting lost;
Secondly, to give full play to the power of Yellow Bracelet in WeChat platform
Rely on the WeChat platform to promote the early diagnosis and treatment of the elders with Alzheimer’s disease, give them early cognitive tests, recommend them the nearby memory clinic, show them care-introducing videos and provide them better caring methods;
Thirdly, to explore and promote the community care model
Make communities and pension institutions as the centers to establish home-care training platforms and livable environments. Eisai plans to pilot this model in 6 Chinese cities for the first batch;
Fourthly, to carry out professional training in caring skills
To learn the global advanced caring experiences, design and develop standard courses to conduct professional trainings to improve the skills of medical staff.
Fifthly, to strengthen the guidance on public awareness
Carry out propaganda and education of disease-related knowledge and construct social environment that encourages respecting, loving and caring the elderly.
Japan is a country with serious aging problem and experienced at elderly care. As a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company, considering Alzheimer‘s Disease as a focus area for the long-term, Eisai has introduced Aricept® to China, made all efforts for its accessibility, and continuously increased the investments in the research and development of new drugs. What’s more, since 2012, Eisai China began to support the Yellow Bracelet project, which helps prevent the elderly with Alzheimer‘s Disease from getting lost; Eisai China has conducted a series of projects – “Remember that I Love You” patient-care activities, and has supported over 100 free clinical services, distributed 245,000 yellow bracelets and provided free drugs to 136 families. “The ’Alzheimer‘s Care’ activity is an upgrade of Eisai‘s former hhc activities. Based on the 20-year experiences in serving Chinese families and communities, Eisai China joins hands with institutions in different fields to help more patients get standard treatments at early stage, and to guide their families in taking care of the patients. Eisai would like to introduce health management experiences accumulated for years through charitable organizations and academic institutions, and to protect the happiness of Chinese families with the comprehensive Alzheimer-treatment solutions,” said Ms. Feng Yanhui, the General Manager of ECI.