Visit to the Gerontech and Innovation Expo

Summary

Facilitating older persons and caregivers to understand more about gerontechnology has been one of the ongoing Age-Friendly Practices implemented in Tuen Mun district in recent years. To increase the awareness and usage of gerontechnology, visits to the Gerontech and Innovation Expo (GIE) have been organised under the ｢護老‧智幫您｣ programme, with the support of the Tuen Mun District Coordinating Committee on Elderly Services of the Social Welfare Department, aiming to familiarize older persons with gerontechnology .

Being the largest public education event on gerontechnology in Hong Kong, the GIE showcases an array of innovative products and concepts that could enhance the well-being, self-reliance, independence and quality of life of older persons as well as provide essential support to their caregivers. Following the positive response received from a district-wide visit to GIE 2022 by older persons on 3 November last year, it has been decided to arrange a similar visit for GIE 2023, scheduled for November this year. It is hoped that with a greater understanding of gerontechnology, older persons would gain more confidence in trying out and embracing innovative technological products that meet their needs and thus enhance the effectiveness and quality of care.

Key facts

Main target group: Older people in general

Other target group(s): Caregivers

Sector(s): Education, Health, Housing, Information and communication, Long-term care, Social protection

Other sector(s): Technology

Desired outcome for older people:
Learn, grow and make decisions

Other issues the Age-friendly practice aims to address:

Ageism
Accessibility
Ageing in place
Inclusion
Participation
Technologies

Contact details

Name:

Email address: tmdcadm@tmdc.had.gov.hk

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

Engaging the wider community

Project lead: Civil Society Organisation

Others involved in the project:

Local authorities
Civil Society Organisation
Social or health care provider
Private sector

How collaboration worked: The GIE was jointly hosted by the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, and co-organised by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. Older persons community centres and neighbourhood older persons centres in Tuen Mun district were invited to assist in the promotion of the GIE and reaching potential participants. Different sectors joined hands to promote the development and application of gerontechnology.

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

Details on older people’s involvement: Through information exchange and experiential learning, older participants learned about the latest technological products and innovations that are specifically designed to improve their quality of life. A wide range of products from health monitoring wearables to smart home automation systems were exhibited, aiming to help older persons stay connected with the community.

Moving forward

Has the impact of this age-friendly practice been analysed: No

Do you plan to evaluate your age-friendly practice? Yes

Feedback:
The response from the participants was encouraging. Apart from gaining knowledge of gerontechnology and its applications, participants agreed that integrating technology into their daily routine could help relieve the pressure and burden of carers.

Expansion plans:
We plan to reach out to more stakeholders and NGOs in the future and carry out gerontechnology education through various measures to enhance public awareness on gerontechnology. Similar age-friendly programmes had been conducted, such as a visit to the Jockey Club’s “Age at Home” Gerontech Education and Rental Service Centre on 5 December 2022, an online sharing session on “Enhancing Muscle Strength Training at Home through Gerontech during the Pandemic” on 22 February 2023, and a visit to the “LU Jockey Club Gerontech-X Lab” on 22 February 2023.

Looking back

Challenges:
Transportation and time presented challenges to us. In order to facilitate the participation of a larger number of older persons, accessible buses were arranged for those with mobility difficulties. As for care service providers who were unable to join the visit in person, we arranged online streaming of workshops and talks for them. This measure was implemented to ensure that no individuals were inadvertently excluded from the event.