Remember I Love You

The age structure of the population is changing rapidly in the People’s Republic of China. It was estimated by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the PRC (2014) that 212 million people were aged 60 years and over in 2014, a number equivalent to the combined population of Germany, France and the U.K. Despite the huge number of older people and dementia patients, very little is known about dementia and appropriate care. In China, only 21% of the dementia patients get a standard diagnosis among those diagnosed, and only 19.6% of patients are taking appropriate treatments.

Remember I Love You is a comprehensive initiative creating synergy between various organizations and stakeholders to promote better understanding and early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in China. Remember I Love You was initiated in China in 2015 and the objectives of the program include:

1. To provide correct information on Alzheimer’s disease to the public.

2. To collaborate with local partners to raise the public’s awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease.

3. To reduce the social burden of Alzheimer disease by promoting early diagnosis.

The services provided by the program include community activities, home visits, media seminars and a social media platform called “Yellow Wristband”, which was co-established by Eisai China Inc. and China Population Welfare Foundation. The “Yellow Wristband” social media platform targets the general population including the elderly. On the platform, articles on dementia self-assessment, drug compliance and a memory clinic list are published regularly and patients can apply for yellow wristband, a wristband with GPS function to track dementia patients. The yellow wristband also contains information on dementia patients which could be used to find their home and/or be in touch with their contacts if they are wandering. Furthermore, Eisai supports China Population Welfare Foundation hosted booths in communities, which provide information on Alzheimer’s disease and conduct simple cognitive assessments for the public. Additionally, Eisai China promotes the integration of cognitive assessment such as Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and “Eight-item Interview to Differentiate Aging and Dementia” (AD8), into the evaluation of the elderly in community hospitals (grade 1 hospitals), to ensure early diagnosis and intervention for Alzheimer patients. Eisai’s corporate philosophy includes the realization of human health care (hhc).

Based on a clear understanding that patients as well as their families and consumers are the key players in healthcare, we seek to have a sense of pride in providing benefits to such persons. The Eisai Group recommends that all of its employees spend 1% of their working hours with patients. Employees in China visits elder people’s home and nursing house to have a clear insight of Alzheimer’s disease patients, their families and healthcare providers. In 2015 and 2017, Eisai invited neurologists and healthcare givers to give media lectures on China Alzheimer’s disease burden and share their experiences on Alzheimer’s disease care.