HKCSS Fosters Cross-Sector Collaboration and Adoption of Gerontechnology to Formulate Hong Kong Dementia Care Action Plan
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 July 2025 -The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) is actively promoting support services for dementia and is leveraging gerontechnology to provide comprehensive support for patients and their caregivers. Through cross-sector collaboration, continuous innovation and extensive consultation, HKCSS is taking forwards the formulation of the "Hong Kong Dementia Care Action Plan" (Action Plan) and launches a series of exchange and consultation programmes in the field of social service, health and innovative technologies to encourage society to rethink the direction of dementia service development in response to the challenges posed by an ageing population. The Action Plan is expected to be officially published in 2026.HKCSS rolls out the formulation of the Action Plan in two phases. The formulation of the Action Plan by HKCSS comprises two stages. In the first stage, the focus is on developing a framework and gathering stakeholder opinion through various channels. In July, a "Dementia and Care Planning Seminar" is held to discuss the current care plan arrangements and limitations for people with dementia, as well as the future development of carer support services. Between September and November in 2025, several events focusing on agenda discussion will take place in conjunction with "World Alzheimer's Day" in September and the "Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit" in November. Public consultation will be conducted in the second stage to finalise the Action Plan.According to the World Health Organization, there were 57 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2021. To address the challenges dementia poses to public health and society, countries worldwide are formulating or updating dementia strategies.states that "There are approximately over 100,000 dementia patients in Hong Kong. HKCSS hopes to connect international and local stakeholders through various programmes to share experiences and strengthen cross-regional and cross-sector collaboration in promoting the development of dementia care and social services, effectively supporting patients and their caregivers in an ageing society."This year, in March, HKCSS organised an international symposium titled "Charting the Future: A Strategic Action Plan for Dementia Care", facilitating close exchanges and discussions with local and overseas stakeholders on various aspects related to dementia. A number of international and local experts shared insights covering research, prevention, living support, policy and social service practices. Mr Greg Shaw, Former Director of International and Corporate Relations at the International Federation on Ageing (IFA), highlighted the importance of "people-oriented" integrated care model through technology, to develop a dementia-inclusive society in the long run. Promoting the idea that "prevention is better than cure" is equally important. Research from the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery found a positive relationship between maintaining hearing and preventing dementia, advising the elderly to wear appropriate hearing aids to timely improve and slow cognitive decline. Additionally, local organisations, in collaboration with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, are implementing the "Caring Communities for Dementia Campaign", using IoT technology to quickly locate missing persons. This initiative allows individuals with dementia to participate actively and safely in the community, alleviating caregivers' concerns about the risk of wandering.Another focus of the symposium was the discussion of the Action Plan. Ms Katie Wong, Chief Officer (Elderly Service) of HKCSS, and Ms Karrie Chan, Deputy Director (Elderly, Rehabilitation & Community) of Hong Kong Christian Service, along with the members of Specialized Committee on Elderly Service, shared the current status of dementia development in Hong Kong. They proposed that prevention, early diagnosis, and early intervention are key strategies for the future development of dementia services, and engaged with participants from social services, academia and institutions to discuss local conditions and suggested directions. Several technology companies demonstrated gerontechnology solutions applicable to dementia care on-site.In addition, during the "S+ Summit cum Expo" in May, a thematic discussion on "Co-Creating Dementia-Friendly Communities: A Journey of Inclusion and Collaboration" explored multi-faceted cooperation through social service, business, and urban planning to enhance facilities and services for the elderly in preventing dementia and making life more convenient for dementia patients and their caregivers.HKCSS aims to harness the social power through cross-sector collaboration and innovation to promote the formulation of dementia care strategies, jointly building a dementia-friendly environment and sustainable community.For latest news, please visit HKCSS official website at https://www.hkcss.org.hk/ Hashtag: #HKCSS #Gerontechnology #SocialService #Elderly
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS)
The HKCSS is a statutory body established in 1947. Together with our Agency Members, we uphold social justice and equality in our mission to advance the well-being of the Hong Kong community. The HKCSS is committed to building an impact-oriented, collaborative and innovative social service sector, and co-creating a better society with stakeholders across different sectors. The HKCSS has over 520 Agency Members, with service units throughout Hong Kong, providing high-quality social services to those in need.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
21 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Verbal threats, mockery now classified as bullying in Health Ministry's upcoming Oct guidelines
KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the use of hurtful language is among the forms of workplace bullying to be addressed in its new guidelines, set to be launched this October. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad was quoted saying that the Guidelines for Managing Bullying, which apply to government clinics and hospitals, define verbal bullying to include insults, threats, mockery and humiliation. 'The guidelines specify that the use of hurtful, insulting, threatening, mocking or humiliating language towards an individual constitutes verbal bullying in the workplace,' he was quoted saying by Berita Harian. 'While specific words are not listed, any use of offensive language — particularly if repeated — can be considered bullying, subject to investigation and the context of the incident.' Dzulkefly had on July 12 announced the guidelines were complete and would be launched in conjunction with World Mental Health Month, before being distributed to all MOH healthcare facilities. The guidelines aim to support the psychosocial wellbeing of MOH staff, strengthen internal reporting systems like the MyHelp platform, and promote a safer, more harmonious workplace. They also outline steps for recognising, preventing and addressing workplace bullying, including reporting procedures and intervention measures for individuals and institutions. The MyHelp Portal, launched on October 1, 2022, allows online complaints to be submitted, with investigations completed within 15 working days depending on the case's complexity. This comes as the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and activist group Hartal Doktor Kontrak urged for such a guideline to be formalised. In Parliament in February, Dzulkefly said house officers were often the main victims of workplace bullying, which needed to be curbed by improving the working environment.
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Start intervention early to curb SVA, say experts
PETALING JAYA: Driven by dopamine-triggering features, the habit of endlessly scrolling through short videos is becoming a worrying trend in Malaysia – not just among adults, but increasingly among children too, say experts. Consultant paediatrician and child disability activist Datuk Dr Amar Singh HSS said short video addiction (SVA) is now a global issue, and Malaysia is no exception. ALSO READ: When habit takes a toll on real life 'Social media platforms like TikTok are attracting many young adults in Malaysia. Local studies have shown signs of TikTok addiction among youth,' he said when contacted. One reason, he explained, lies in how these platforms are designed. 'They use algorithms that prioritise engagement, which often amplifies negative or sensational content. This kind of content is more attention-grabbing, which helps generate views and platform monetisation,' he said. Supporting this, a study by Hong Kong-based Digital Business Lab showed TikTok's explosive growth in Malaysia. ALSO READ: Hooked on autoplay, infinite scrolling and dopamine hits In the first half of 2024 alone, the platform recorded 81.7 million downloads, a 6.6% increase from the previous year. ByteDance's advertising data also reported 28.68 million TikTok users aged 18 and above in Malaysia, equivalent to 84.4% of total internet users. 'As of January 2024, TikTok is the most popular social media platform, with 21.9% of users saying they love its engaging short-form videos,' the report stated. Child expert Syaza Soraya Sauli of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia stressed the importance of early intervention, beginning at home and in pre-schools. 'More parents are giving gadgets to their children, especially phones. This leads to what's now being called 'virtual autism',' she said, referring to children who exhibit autism-like behaviours due to prolonged screen exposure and limited social interaction. 'Many children aged below seven are already showing signs such as short attention spans, avoidance of physical activities and limited soft skills. 'They complain about hand pain when writing, give up on colouring quickly, yet can sit through hours of short videos.' These children often lack gross motor skills such as coordination and strength, she added. When assessed, Syaza said they appear 'autistic', but the root issue is screen overexposure, not neurodevelopmental disorders. 'Our current education system doesn't help. There's only one teacher per 25 students and national policy only mandates 20 minutes of structured free-play in pre-schools daily – far too little to build physical skills.' Syaza said addressing SVA requires cooperation between parents and schools. 'Parents must reduce their own screen time alongside their children's, gradually. It's not easy because children may become emotionally distressed when gadgets are taken away,' she said, recommending alternative outlets like outdoor play to release energy and emotions. 'While parents do their part at home, education policymakers must also ensure balance in the school curriculum by combining digital literacy with physical, hands-on learning. There should be more experiential learning,' she added. 'Balance is key to preventing SVA from becoming a major problem, as seen in Singapore and China,' said Syaza, who is currently pursuing her PhD in educational psychology.
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
What migrant worker deaths reveal about Malaysia's fragile Socso system
KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — Two foreign workers were injured on the job in Malaysia but their stories couldn't have been more different. One – Jebaraj Kumar (not his real name) from India – died alone, with his hospital bills unpaid. His body remained in the morgue for nearly two months and was only flown back to India in a closed casket after the outstanding bills were settled. The other – Sri Handayani or Riyanie, a 49-year-old maid from Indonesia – was hit by a car while heading to the grocery store. She was treated and discharged within hours, received a month of physiotherapy, and has since returned to work. The incidents happened about a year apart. The Malaysian government-backed insurance scheme for workers, the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso), paid for both medical bills. All workers, foreign and local, are required by law to be enrolled in Perkeso, which not only pays for medical bills for injuries and illnesses sustained at work, but also disability and death benefits. But Jebaraj did not receive any help from Perkeso until almost two months after his death, while Riyanie received assistance almost immediately. Their stories expose the stark difference in outcome on a system that arguably relies too much on employers and luck for workers with little support system here. 'For migrants, it is essential to be covered by (Perkeso) as migrants work in 3D (dirty, dangerous, difficult) sectors where injuries can happen anytime,' said Sumitha Shaanthinni Kishna, founder and director of the migrant labour rights group Our Journey. 'Perkeso has a very strong system when it works as intended.' Foreign workers working,Semenyih 12 May 2023—Picture by Raymond Manuel Without Perkeso The case of Jebaraj illustrates what could happen to a worker if the unthinkable happened without Perkeso's assistance. On March 6, 2024, the 48-year old man from Tamil Nadu, India was working in the kitchen of a restaurant in Bangsar, when a gas tank exploded. He sustained severe burns on 80 per cent of his body and was the only one injured, according to news reports on the incident. He was brought to Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) for treatment. No one had notified his family. His 25-year-old daughter, who asked to be identified only as Suba, told Bernama via an interpreter that they only knew something was wrong when her father failed to call them at 6.30 pm as scheduled. She called her father's employer, who informed her that Jebaraj had been injured at work and was in the hospital. 'He told me my father was ok, he was awake and talking,' she said via Google Meet. 'We didn't fly to see him because we thought he was going to be ok.' She said in reality, her father was in a coma. She and her mother asked to talk to Jebaraj, or see photos of him recovering in the hospital, but the employer said HKL did not allow any phones on its premises. Things got worse from there. Jebaraj passed away on June 2, 2024. But Suba and her mother would not be able to bury him until almost two months later. She claimed that Jebaraj's employer tried to persuade the family to bury him in Malaysia, citing the extensive paperwork involved in repatriating the body. She then asked her father's friend to check on her father's case and found out that the body had not been released because of unpaid hospital bills. Suba is unsure whether her father's employer reported the case to Perkeso, as required by law. In any case, it appears Perkeso was not involved in Rebaraj's case until Sumitha-whose NGO is representing Suba and her mother-petitioned the organisation to cover the hospital bill and provide the entitlements owed to them. When contacted, Jebaraj's employers said he had Perkeso coverage at the time of the incident but did not explain why the hospital bills were left unpaid. Perkeso confirmed to Bernama via WhatsApp that Jebaraj was covered. 'Perkeso has investigated this case and confirmed that the case is covered under the Employment Injury Scheme (Act 4) and eligible to receive benefits from Perkeso,' the group said. Suba confirmed her mother has begun receiving dependent's benefits through the scheme. Malaysia made Perkeso coverage mandatory for foreign workers in 2019, and expanded its Invalidity Scheme to foreign workers in July 2024 to provide disability pension, funeral and death benefits, as well as survivors' benefits. Failure to comply could result in a RM10,000 fine or two-years' imprisonment or both. Perkeso has covered Malaysian workers' since 1971 via the Employees' Social Security Act 1969 (Act 4), Self-Employment Social Security Act 2017 (Act 789) and Employment Insurance System Act 2017 (Act 800). With Perkeso Riyanie vividly recalls the terrifying moment the car struck her-her body and purse flying into the air. Just moments earlier, she had been waiting for the light to turn green so she could cross. Now, she lay sprawled in the middle of the road in Puchong like a rag doll, blood covering her face and body, the contents of her purse scattered around her. 'I could tell it was bad because there was so much blood. My hand was covered in blood,' said the Indonesian domestic worker to Bernama. Pedestrians and the remorseful driver helped her contact her employer and took her to the nearest clinic and then to Putrajaya Hospital. Her employer met her there, stayed by her side during the X-rays, helped her through treatment for a scalp gash, and arranged her physiotherapy sessions. She also assisted Ryanie fill out the necessary forms. Not once during that time did she worry about accessing medical care, including the physical rehabilitation for muscle damage on her right side. 'I received physiotherapy from Perkeso too-they covered everything,' she said, adding that her employer had enrolled her in the programme as required by law, and also provided coverage under the Indonesian government's workers' insurance scheme. The accident took place on May 6 this year. Today, Riyanie is fully healed, healthy and moving without any aches or pains. She described the entire process as smooth and mostly hassle-free. All she had to do was provide her Perkeso number to the hospital staff, and if she didn't have it, her employer would do it for her. For Riyanie, the system worked as intended. Differences in response Both are foreign workers who met with an accident at work. Both have Perkeso coverage. Yet, the paths diverged sharply. Experts said the difference came down to how helpful the employers are. For foreign workers, who are often alone and lack a support network here, this reliance on the employer is compounded. Malaysian workers who are recent transplants may be in a similar situation. Bar Council Migrants and Refugees Committee Co-Chair Datuk Seri Ramachelvam told Bernama the onus was mostly on employers contacting Perkeso when accidents happen. 'There's also nothing barring an employee from reporting, but employees are less likely to report it in the sense of the lack of knowledge,' he told Bernama via Zoom. Media reports of serious or deadly incidents are not enough to trigger Perkeso action either as there is no way to know who the workers involved were or whether they were contributors to Perkeso. Under Malaysian law, not all workers are covered. Workers who earn more than RM6,000 are not required to have Perkeso coverage, a ceiling increase from RM 4,000 to RM5,000 on Sept 1, 2022, and another to RM6,000 on Oct 1, 2024. National Association of Human Resources Malaysia (PUSMA) president Zarina Ismail said the way Perkeso is set up, employers have an outsized role in looking after their employees. 'As employers, that is their responsibility. Whether it's a big or small company, once we hire workers-whether foreign or local-it is our duty to ensure their welfare,' she said. Nevertheless, labour experts said most employers are compliant and provide Perkeso and other coverage for their workers as required by law. socso Filling in gaps That employers should be responsible for their employees' well-being is a given. But a system that hinges on them to activate benefits leaves too much room for failure. Labour experts say to prevent cases such as Jebaraj's, there needs to be changes at the systemic and administrative level. All said better communication between governmental agencies would help plug the gap in reporting and service. Attorney Michael Cheah, who deals with labour issues among others at AmerBON Advocates, blamed government agencies' tendency to work in siloes. 'The system is built in such a way that everyone operates in siloes so there's no integration between the agencies,' he said. Ramachelvam agreed. He said having a standard operating procedure (SOP) in place where one department receiving a report triggers action from another agency would prevent cases from slipping through the cracks. For instance, the law mandates reporting of industrial accidents to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). Should any worker die or be injured, DOSH can take note and inform Perkeso. 'I don't see why, when an accident is reported to the department (DOSH), there should (not) be an SOP for it to notify Perkeso as well-so that Perkeso can follow up,' he said. 'That future may not be long way off. Even now, the government is in the process of digitalisation and possibly digitally linking their services between agencies, as part of the five-year digitalisation plan, overseen by Jabatan Digital Negara (JDN). In the meantime, Riyanie – who still cares for her employer's elderly mother – considers herself fortunate to be working for a family that follows the rules. A mother of three grown children, she feels assured they will be taken care of should anything happen to her while she's away from home. 'I'm not worried because I have insurance,' she said, smiling. For Suba, her father's passing, alone and unconscious in a strange land, is still a source of pain. She last saw him in 2019 when he was in India for a vacation. 'He was supposed to come back last year to arrange my marriage,' she said. Instead, the next time Jebaraj was back on Indian soil, it was in a closed casket, buried hurriedly at 2 am without a priest attending the burial. 'I'm still heartbroken that I couldn't talk to him before he died.' — Bernama
