KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — Genting Group celebrated its Founder's Day by handing over a purpose-built dementia day care centre to the management team of the Geriatric Division at Universiti Malaya (UM).
The centre was built following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Genting Group and UM during the inaugural Genting Founder’s Day last year when both parties agreed to collaborate in setting up and operating a dementia care centre.
Recognising the need to have a dedicated facility for people with the disorder, Genting Group together with UM’s Geriatric Division developed the centre to provide care for patients suffering from dementia.
In addition to the patient day care services, the centre will also provide training to caregivers, family members and professionals involved in dementia care.
Located in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur, the centre is designed to accommodate up to 50 patients at a time.
Facilities include a quiet room, resting room, prayer room, physiotherapy and cognitive stimulation room, consultation room, meeting room and offices.
Last night, over 1,500 employees, guests, corporate partners and business associates attended the event to commemorate the legacy of the Genting Group founder, the late Tan Sri Dr Lim Goh Tong.
To signify the handover of the centre, Genting Group chairman and chief executive officer Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay presented a plaque to UM’s Dementia Care Centre medical director Professor Dr Tan Maw Pin and the centre manager Muhammad Mujada Rosli.
The ceremony was witnessed by UM's Medicine Faculty dean Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman and Dementia Care Centre patron Puan Sri Cecilia Lim.
Lim said Genting Berhad has, over the past decade been involved in research and development for new treatments and ways for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease through the group’s various investments in life sciences companies.
“We hope that our investments in these companies will benefit Malaysia through knowledge transfer via collaborations between these world class companies and researchers with our local universities as well as cutting-edge technologies,” he added.
Globally, statistics show that one in 20 people above the age of 60 will develop dementia, and the number is expected to increase from 50 million cases as of last year to 152 million by 2050.
Dementia is a syndrome in which the brain function is affected enough to inhibit the sufferers’ normal social or working life.
“The centre is aimed at providing day care to people living with dementia so that their family members can continue to work, earn an income and be productive,” said Dr Tan.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the Genting Group to establish the centre."
