Community Service Day: Visiting older adults and understanding service management

The School of Graduate Studies (GS) at Lingnan University (Lingnan) organised a Community Service Day on 10 April 2026 to strengthen students’ engagement with the community and enhance experiential learning in health and social services management. Approximately 50 students from the Master of Social Sciences in Health and Social Services Management (MHSM) and the Master of Science in Health Analytics and Management (HAM) programmes, enrolled in the elective course titled “Managing Service Users and Stakeholders”, participated in this meaningful outreach activity. The event was co-organised by GS and Fu Tai Neighbourhood Elderly Centre of The Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council (NAAC), with the aim of deepening students’ understanding of community services while fostering empathy, social responsibility, and practical insights into service management.

Prior to the home visits, Mr Keyman Kwong, the Centre Supervisor at Fu Tai Neighbourhood Elderly Centre of NAAC, delivered a comprehensive and practical training session for the students. The training covered essential knowledge and skills, including an introduction to dementia and its impact on older adults, understanding the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and practical home-visit skills and communication techniques. This preparation enabled students to approach the community visits with greater confidence, professionalism, and sensitivity.

During the visits, students were divided into teams and had the opportunity to visit older adults in their homes, engaging directly with the local community through conversations and basic assessments. The purposes of these visits were to better understand the needs of older adults and to identify potential areas for service development. Many older adults shared their personal stories and life experiences, offering students valuable insights into ageing, resilience, and the importance of social support. This hands-on experience helped students understand how the quality of service delivery directly affects the lives of service users.

Mr Keyman Kwong expressed his appreciation for the collaboration and the opportunity to work together with Lingnan on this meaningful service. He remarked, “We sincerely thank Lingnan once again for inviting our centre to participate in such a meaningful activity. Fu Tai Estate and Siu Hong Court, located in Tuen Mun, are relatively remote areas, and there is only one elderly centre serving the district. It is therefore challenging for the centre alone to fully support the older adults in this community. Through collaboration with Lingnan, students were able to put classroom learning into practice through home visits and preliminary assessments. This not only allowed students to apply what they had learnt, but also enabled older adults to genuinely feel the care and concern from society and academic institutions. This collaboration helped to fill existing service gaps in the community. Once again, thank you to Lingnan, and we hope to continue this partnership in the future.”

Students also provided thoughtful reflections on their service experiences. Gigi Pei from the MHSM programme shared, “The one hour we spent visiting the senior residents was truly a blessing. They were incredibly kind, and it was a wonderful opportunity for them to see how talented Lingnan students are. Many commented on how amazing we were – multilingual, respectful, and well-mannered. It was bittersweet to see how much they enjoyed our visit, knowing we could only stay for a short while. By going into the community, we were able to connect theory with real-life practice, making the learning experience even more impactful. This visit encouraged us to reflect on our social responsibilities and inspired us to continue contributing to the community in meaningful ways.”

Eric Opoku from the HAM programme added, “The experience was extraordinary. Coming into direct contact with senior residents and receiving such a warm welcome was truly heartwarming. Activities like this should be organised more often.” He also shared insights with the NGO staff and fellow students by comparing community services in Ghana and Hong Kong, China, which enriched cultural exchange and enhanced mutual understanding of different social service systems.

The Community Service Day successfully bridged academic learning with real-world practice. It strengthened students’ professional competence, cultural awareness, and sense of social responsibility, while reinforcing the importance of collaboration between universities and community organisations.