Lingnan University organises a professional exchange to raise elderly care service standards in the Greater Bay Area

Lingnan University organised the second phase “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Elderly Care Industry Expert Exchange and Service Enhancement Event” to improve collaboration and innovation in elderly care services from 20 to 21 November, which was attended by more than 20 delegates from nine community elderly care institutions in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).

On the first day, representatives from several elderly care institutions visited the Yan Chai Hospital Board, Yan Chai Hospital Jockey Club Care & Attention Home, Yan Chai Hospital Chan Feng Men Ling Integrated Community Development Centre and the Tsuen Wan District Health Centre to learn about the operations and scope of services of community-based elderly care organisations in Hong Kong. They discussed management practices, frontline experiences, and technological applications, and studied community support mechanisms and industry planning for home-based elderly care.

The three elderly care centres all focus on “home-based ageing in place”. At the Yan Chai Hospital Jockey Club Care & Attention Home, visitors looked at elderly-friendly home design and technological applications such as electronic medication dispensers using smart wristbands, bed exit sensors, intelligent positioning devices, and anti-wandering features, all highlighting the potential of innovative information technology and assisted facility care. The Yan Chai Hospital Chan Feng Men Ling Integrated Community Development Centre explained their daytime care services, and how their multidisciplinary teams create Individual Care Plans (ICP) using professional nursing and rehabilitation services to meet the needs of elderly people who require care during the day. On Hong Kong’s “Chronic Disease Co-management Pilot”, the Tsuen Wan District Health Centre showed how collaboration between local medical services and family doctors helps establish individualised health management plans for seniors, aligning with their “prevention and treatment before illness” goal, and providing practical models for building grassroots elderly medical service systems in the GBA.

The following day, the visitors attended the Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit (GIES) organised jointly by the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) with support from the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. Hong Kong’s largest public platform for ageing-related technologies, the exhibition showed nearly 1,000 products and programmes from Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland, and the rest of the world for elderly care and health management. The visitors joined guided tours and made focused visits to Lingnan University and the Jockey Club “Age at Home” ageing technology education and leasing service booths. On-site demonstrations included interactive pet companionship robots, foldable lightweight exercise bikes, wireless monitoring systems, electric mobility aids, assistive eating devices, and portable hair-washing machines, showing how technology can improve seniors’ quality of life.

That afternoon, the visitors attended an exchange session held on the Lingnan University campus on policies to improve long-term care services. Experts were invited to offer advice on the community care system, and emphasised “decentralised care” in supporting family caregivers, prolonging the elderly’s time at home and providing “respite services”. They engaged in discussions and reported gaining valuable insights and fresh perspectives for the future development and improvement of long-term care services.

This is the second phase of Lingnan University's initiative to improve elderly care services in the GBA by sharing experience and capacity building, supported by the Lingnan University Innovation & Impact Fund, and sponsored by the Research Grants Council's Knowledge Transfer Project Fund. Prof Shi Cheng, Research Assistant Professor at Lingnan's School of Graduate Studies and Institute of Policy Studies, is overseeing the project, together with Dr Chloe Sui Pui-yi, Senior Lecturer at the School of Graduate Studies and Institute of Policy Studies, and Dr Fung Ming-sui, Deputy Director of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies.

Participating Institutions (listed in alphabetical order): 

Dongguan Pengxing Social Work Service Center 

Foshan Chunhui Social Work Service Center 

Foshan Nanhai District Taoyuan Welfare Center Co., Ltd. 

Foshan Shunde District Hetai Elderly Care Center 

Foshan Shunde District Shanqi Home Elderly Service Co., Ltd. 

Foshan Shunde District Yixin Social Work Service Center 

Guangzhou Ci Ai Jia Elderly Service Center 

Jiangmen Pengjiang District Hengai Social Work Comprehensive Service Center 

Zhongshan Qichuang Social Work Service Center