Sixteen outstanding projects were commended at the 2019 Award Presentation Ceremony of the Opportunities for the Elderly Project (OEP) organised by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) today (November 1). More than 20 awards were presented to the groups organising these programmes.

     Speaking at the Award Presentation Ceremony, the Chairman of the OEP Advisory Committee, Professor Diana Lee, said that the OEP has achieved remarkable results since its launch 21 years ago. Over $80 million has been approved for subsidising more than 5 700 district programmes, with over 3.4 million participants benefiting.
 
     Noting that the annual recurrent expenditure for the OEP has increased from $7.3 million to $11.3 million with effect from 2019-20, she said the rise would help encourage more organisations from different sectors to participate in the OEP, offering more opportunities for elderly people to take part in community affairs.
 
     Also addressing the ceremony, the Chairman of the Elderly Commission, Dr Lam Ching-choi, expressed appreciation to institutes, organisations and elderly people for their efforts in supporting the OEP, adding that their support has helped the OEP to continue to play a significant role in boosting positive energy in society. He encouraged elderly people to visit the OEP Facebook page and embrace new things to broaden their social circles.
 
     Also officiating at today's ceremony was the Director of Social Welfare, Mr Gordon Leung. He joined Professor Lee and Dr Lam to present prizes to organisers of the winning programmes. They were commended for their outstanding performance in enhancing intergenerational harmony, promoting respect and care for elderly persons and cultivating a sense of self-worthiness among elderly people.
 
     At the event, Anderson Junior was appointed as the Honorary OEP Ambassador to help promote OEP activities and spread the message of active ageing. Noting that it was an honour to have been appointed as the Honorary OEP Ambassador, he said taking part in promoting OEP activities not only gives him opportunities to serve elderly people but also enables him to live a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
 
     Through subsidising social service organisations, district organisations and educational institutes to carry out a wide range of activities, the OEP has been providing various opportunities for elderly people to unleash their potential to contribute to society and cultivate a sense of self-worthiness. Two hundred and forty programmes were completed in 2018-19.
 
     The Hong Kong Christian Service Bliss District Elderly Community Centre was one of the winners of the Hong Kong Best OEP Award. The centre has devised and implemented a project for helping elderly people with mild cognitive impairment. In the project, elderly people with mild cognitive impairment and students from the School of Design of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University jointly created a table game for cognitive training. With this amusing and interesting game, elderly volunteers help train their peers with mild cognitive impairment. Intergenerational collaboration and readiness to take up new challenges were the keys to the success of this project, which allows elderly people with mild cognitive impairment to unleash their potential, serve the community proactively and cultivate a sense of self-worthiness.
 
     Featuring a tea reception and a variety of performances, today's ceremony was decorated with a vintage theme. About 1 000 participants from various districts were invited to join the event to share the happiness of the awardees.
 
     For details of the OEP, please visit the OEP Facebook page (www.facebook.com/%E8%80%81%E6%9C%89%E6%89%80%E7%82%BA%E6%B4%BB%E5%8B%95%E8%A8%88%E5%8A%83-Opportunities-for-the-Elderly-Project-OEP-1517257001918700).

Ends/Friday, November 1, 2019
Issued at HKT 18:27

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