The following is issued on behalf of the Executive Council Secretariat:
      
     Non-official Members of the Executive Council (ExCo Non-official Members) today (May 24) visited the Jockey Club "age at Home" Gerontech Education and Rental Service Centre in Sha Tin to learn about the latest gerontech developments in Hong Kong.
      
     Accompanied by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS), Mr Chua Hoi-wai, the ExCo Non-official Members were briefed on the target group, service scope and service flow of the centre's Gerontech Education and Rental Service.
      
     The service, which will run for four and a half years, is provided by the HKCSS in partnership with the Hong Kong Red Cross, Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service-Hong Kong and St James' Settlement and funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. It aims to provide frail elderly persons and their carers with education and consultation services, as well as assessments on the users' physical condition and home environment. The service also provides the opportunity for users to rent, on a monthly basis, gerontech equipment (such as mobility and transfer aids, electric nursing beds and smart sensors) for use at home or in the community. A total of 2 500 rental items are expected to be made available to elderly persons in the community. In addition to offering education and consultation on gerontech products, the service also provides cleaning and maintenance support to its users.
      
     The ExCo Non-official Members then visited the Gerontech Cleaning and Maintenance Service Centre in Fo Tan to learn about its equipment collection, cleaning, maintenance and repair services. They noted that, with suitable processing, the equipment can be readily reused by elderly persons in the community, thus enabling cost-sharing and wastage reduction.
      
     The ExCo Non-official Members were pleased to note how Hong Kong's gerontech services could effectively address the needs of elderly persons and their carers, and in the process substantially alleviate the burden and pressure on carers. The ExCo Non-official Members held that gerontech, which combines elderly services with innovation and technology, could improve the quality of life of the elderly. The Members supported the Government to further promote the development of gerontech by strengthening the communication and collaboration among relevant bureaux and departments and the welfare sector.
      
     The ExCo Non-official Members joining the visit today were Convenor Mr Bernard Chan, Mr Chow Chung-kong, Mr Ip Kwok-him, Mrs Regina Ip, Dr Lam Ching-choi and Mr Kenneth Lau.

Ends/Monday, May 24, 2021
Issued at HKT 18:00

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