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Caregiver Support Model & Psycho-Education Programme

Caregiver Support Model & Psycho-Education Programme

Summary

The Wan Chai Methodist Centre for the Seniors was funded by Simon K Y Lee Elderly Fund to run the “Caregiver Support Model & Psycho-Education Programme on Empowerment: Development and Validation Project”. With collaboration with City University of Hong Kong, the project adopted a scientific, comprehensive and validated working model of serving caregivers of older adults with the purpose of strengthening their personal social capital so that they can perform the caregiver role more effectively.

This project contained a series of seminars, training workshops, physiotherapist consultations, and telephone support to enhance participants’ knowledge on caregiving and facilitate their mutual assistance and support. Additionally, the project also recruited experienced caregivers and former caregivers as peer supporters to provide support and advice to new caregivers. To reduce social contacts during the pandemic, the centre arranged several online mutual support groups for carers to interact and support other participants at home.

Key facts

Main target group: Both younger and older people (i.e. intergenerational)

Other target group(s): Caregivers of the older adults

Sector(s): Health, Long-term care

Other sector(s): N/A

Desired outcome for older people:
Meet their basic needs

Other issues the Age-friendly practice aims to address:
  • Ageing in place

Contact details

Name: Kwok-wai, Sabina KOO

Email address: sabinakoo.kkw@gmail.com

Age-friendly practice in detail (click to expand):

Engaging the wider community

Project lead: Social or health care provider

Others involved in the project:
  • Local authorities
  • Social or health care provider

How collaboration worked: The programme has been funded by Simon K Y Lee Elderly Fund. With the support of the Wai Chai District Council, the programme was organised by the Wan Chai Methodist Centre for the Seniors and evaluated by City University of Hong Kong.

Older people’s involvement: Older people were involved in the age-friendly practice at multiple or all stages

Details on older people’s involvement: Some caregivers aged 60 or above were the target participants of the programme.

Moving forward

Has the impact of this age-friendly practice been analysed: Yes

Was the impact positive or negative:
Positive

Feedback:
The feedback from the participants was quite positive. They enjoyed sharing their experiences on caregiving. No matter how different their experience was, what they felt echoed to each other. The understanding and acknowledgment of each participant in the group was so precious and strengthened their desire to continue as a caregiver. Participants have learned to appreciate themselves and treated themselves better. There was some negative feedback due to the caregiver’s lacking readiness to share their experience on caregiving. It made them a bit stressed about the group and led some participants to drop out of the group.

Expansion plans:
The service would not be expanded due to the resources. The usage of information communication technologies, as well as the mentorship of the experienced caregiver, could be continued in normal practice. .

Looking back

Reflections:
Caregiver services should also be delivered by using information and communications technologies (where able)to enhance service flexibility.

Challenges:
It was quite difficult to deliver services during the pandemic, when the centre service was suspended, people avoided gathering. But thanks to the funder who could reallocate the resources to purchase the tablets, group activities could be organized through the use of technology. By teaching older people how to use tablets and the internet, or helping them to use such technology, services like mutual support groups and talks could be delivered to the caregivers. The eventual result was quite good.