TAKING CARE OF THE ELDERLY
Over at Peng Chau, another outlying island about 40 minutes away from the city by ferry, residents similarly struggle with a lack of medical services.
Of its roughly 6,000 residents, about 1,000 are elderly.
Instead of a hospital, residents have four medical clinics, including one outpatient clinic which offers 24-hour first aid services.
Mr Jordan Yeng, who co-founded daycare centre Silvermorph Charity, said he did so because there was a service gap.
“The helicopter can help in very acute emergency situations. But in my view, there should be more resources related to providing those long-term care, such as daycare centres, such as elderly homes, or broadening those home base services, because those are kind of the day-to-day needs,” he said.
The same healthcare labour shortage that plagues the city also affects his centre.
Despite providing a wide range of services including bathing and meal assistance, nursing care and rehabilitation, the centre only has three full-time staff. To make up for the lack of staff, Mr Yeng gets islanders or their relatives to help on a freelance basis.
Aside from Silvermorph Charity, residents can also tap on Happy Ageing in Peng Chau, a programme that recruits volunteers to help seniors with daily tasks.
“We organise different kinds of activities, including chair dancing, stretching, calligraphy and tea appreciation,” said project manager Derek Tam.
“These activities are great for their physical and mental health – not just exercising, but also building a social circle for them.”
Though most of the activities take place at a community centre, volunteers conduct home visits, where they sometimes help with light repair work. Like Silvermorph Charity, the programme also does home modifications for the elderly.
“We help to repair or improve the hardware at the elderly’s home, like fixing faulty light bulbs, to water leakage from the windows. Our volunteers also help install handrails in bathrooms for those in need,” Mr Tam said.
“These may seem like minor repairs or adjustments, but they make a significant improvement in the lives of the elderly.”
