Tung Chung Care Action

Summary

According to a baseline assessment on Islands District conducted in 2016, “Social Participation” was given priority for improvement among the eight Age-Friendly City (AFC) domains. The result reveals that interviewees recognized the importance of building a closer neighbourhood support network in Islands District, notably because of its remoteness. It is also observed an increasing number of people, especially older adults suffering from chronic diseases and psychological distress. To improve mental health of the residents, a district-based programme named “Tung Chung Care Action” was introduced in July 2018 to recruit and train Care Ambassadors who can offer timely assistance to the needy.

The programme was subsidised by the Islands District Council and jointly organised by the Islands Healthy City and Age-friendly Community Working Group under the Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries and Environmental Hygiene Committee of IDC as well as Tung Chung Safe and Healthy City. A number of workshops on stress management and basic counselling techniques etc. conducted by professional social workers or psychiatrists were arranged for the Care Ambassadors to equip them with skills to provide emotional support for people in need, and identify cases to be referred to professionals for follow-up at an earlier stage. In 2018, the Care Ambassadors visited around 300 households in Tung Chung.

To provide continuous support for the residents, phase 2 of the programme was launched in February 2019 and 100 home visits in Tung Chung were made, followed by phase 3 launched in June 2019.

Key facts

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

Other target group(s): Elderly suffering from psychological distress

Sector(s): Health, Housing, Long-term care, Social protection

Desired outcome for older people:
Build and maintain relationships

Other issues the Age-friendly practice aims to address:

Healthy behaviours (e.g. physical activity)
Inequities
Inclusion
Participation

Contact details

Name: Randy Hon-Kwan Yu

Email address: isdcadm@isdc.had.gov.hk

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

Engaging the wider community

Project lead: Local authorities

Others involved in the project:

Social or health care provider
Volunteers
Private sector

How collaboration worked: The Government worked hand in hand with Islands District Council and provided financial support for a wide range of activities while Tung Chung Safe and Health City promoted the programme through its well-established network. Non-governmental organisations such as the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council Tung Chung Integrated Service Centre also allocated resources to provide training to the Care Ambassadors. The success of the programme owes much to the close collaboration among the Government, community organisations, schools and private sector.

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

Details on older people’s involvement: Elderly members were the target interviewees of the baseline assessment as their opinions help identify which AFC domains require improvements. Elderly members recruited as Care Ambassadors were given an opportunity to serve the community with the counselling skills acquired in the workshops. They also acted as role models to other elderly members and spread positivity.

Moving forward

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

Was the impact positive or negative:
Positive

Feedback:
The participants reflected that the programme enhanced their understanding on mental health well-being and ability to identify and cope with people in mental distress. The workshops and seminars conducted by professionals, including medical practitioners from Kwai Chung Hospital, North Lantau Hospital and representatives from New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, were also considered both informative and practical. In addition, the participants generally agreed that the programme could effectively leverage the strengths of co-organisers. Different stakeholders in the community, including social welfare organisations, schools, hospitals and property management agents have also become more closely connected, which is conducive to building a more harmonious and caring community in the long run.

Expansion plans:
Following the successful launch of phase 1 of the programme, phases 2 and 3 were launched in February and June 2019 respectively.

Looking back

Challenges:
Although active participation by housing estates was encouraged, the co-organisers were only informed at a relatively late stage that home visits were not allowed in some housing estates due to privacy concerns. In response, the Care Ambassadors tried to reach the target group by setting up a street booth in the area and accepting referrals.