New Taipei City is expanding its free health check program for older farmers and fishers, adding a dementia test — good news for rural seniors who rarely get screened.

• The city now covers dementia screening on top of the existing checkup, using a short memory questionnaire plus blood tests for folate and vitamin B12.
• Nearly 8% of Taiwanese over 65 have dementia, and farmers and fishers sit in the high-risk group.
• The city also pays the insurance co-payment for those covered by farmer insurance, so the checkup costs nothing.
• Checks target heart and muscle problems common in outdoor manual work, with free shuttle buses and on-site testing in remote areas.
• Past checkups have caught early lung tumors and hardened heart arteries in time for treatment.

Outlook: Roughly 4,000 people are expected to be screened before the program closes in mid-September, with farmers and fishers' associations handling sign-ups.