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The following is issued on behalf of the Tsuen Wan District Council:
The Tsuen Wan District Council (TWDC), the Yan Chai Hospital and the Tsuen Wan District Youth Services Corps jointly held the designation ceremony for "Tsuen Wan District Joins the World Health Organization Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities" and poon choi feast for the elderly today (May 16) at Sky Dome Atrium, Discovery Park Shopping Centre, Tsuen Wan.
Officiating at the ceremony, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government attaches great importance to the problems arising from population ageing and will link up the population policy with other policies to achieve synergy.
Mrs Lam said she was glad that the "Tsuen Wan District Age-friendly Community Scheme" is in line with the Government's policy on care for the elderly. She also said she believed that the TWDC, the elderly services organisations, government departments and the elderly will continue to work hand-in-hand to improve the facilities and services for the elderly in the district, maintaining Tsuen Wan District as an age-friendly community.
After the ceremony, a poon choi feast was held to share the joy of the designation of Tsuen Wan District as one of the first communities in Hong Kong to join the Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities (the Network).
The TWDC launched the project in 2013. Forty-eight senior citizens who trained to be Community Ambassadors through lectures, group discussions and seminars, were encouraged to express their views on improvements to community facilities for the elderly, promoting a sense of worthiness in the community and engaging others in the spirit of lifelong learning. Through their personal experience and by way of service and study, they conducted site visits and assessments in the district. A research report was then submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO) for certification of age-friendly community.
In response to the global ageing population, the WHO advocated the implementation of the Network in 2005, encouraging cities and communities worldwide to offer advice to their policymakers based on the eight indicators in the guidelines, which include transportation, support for the community and health services, to provide a healthy and comfortable living environment for the elderly.
Apart from Tsuen Wan District, Kwai Tsing District and Sai Kung District were also among the first batch of communities in Hong Kong to join the global network.
Other officiating guests included the Chairman of the TWDC, Mr Chan Iu-seng; the Vice-chairman of the TWDC, Mr Chung Wai-ping; the Vice-chairman of the Elderly Commission, Dr Lam Ching-choi; the Chairman of the Committee on Elder Academy Development Foundation, Dr Leong Che-hung; the Chairlady of the Board of Directors of the Yan Chai Hospital, Ms Vanessa Lam; and the Associate Director of the Office of Service-Learning of the Lingnan University, Dr Carol Ma.
Ends/Saturday, May 16, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:39
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