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Generation Connect – Elderly Home Visiting Service with Students in Healthcare Industries
31/08/2023

As the elderly population grows, there is an increasing demand for social and medical care. A charitable Foundation partnered with the School of Nursing, LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, as well as charitable organisations and NGOs, launched the ‘Generations Connect’ project to foster connections between young people and the elderly, with a focus on preventive care and self-care management of the elderly. By incorporating the concept of e-Health Literacy, the project aims to help the elderly keep abreast of practical e-health tools to improve their health. Students from various healthcare industries serve as the ambassadors of the project, providing community intervention and behavioural coaching. Following a successful pilot scheme in November 2022, the two-year ‘Generations Connect’ project officially launched in early 2023, expanding its service scope to provide care for the elderly in different districts. It is expected that more than 1,000 students will participate in the project, reaching an estimated 10,000 elderly beneficiaries.

The CARE@hkjc Volunteer Team has shown enthusiastic support for the project. From June to August 2023, nearly 100 CARE volunteers participated in the project, completing a total of 16 home visit sessions. These visits covered ten local districts, including Wan Chai, Sha Tin, Sham Shui Po, Kwai Tsing, Kwun Tong, Tseung Kwan O, and more. During the visits, CARE volunteers engaged in conversations with the elders, while the student ambassadors conducted surveys and assessments of their physical and mental health. This allowed for spreading love and care to the elderly, as well as understanding their mobile phone usage behaviours and eHealth Literacy levels.

The CARE volunteers expressed their appreciation for the professional attitude and patience of the student ambassadors throughout the project. They were also grateful for the opportunity to enhance their own e-health literacy during the service. The volunteers hope to utilise the e-health resources in their daily lives and promote them to those in need in the community.