The rapid development of innovative technologies in recent decades plays a role in enhancing elderly care services as well as dementia care in Hong Kong. The use of GPS-watch or smart phone APPs are common practices among some older people and family members for position tracking or medication reminding in daily life. More than that, many community and residential care service units for elderly have installed some systems or devices to ensure the safety of service users, such as anti-wandering, fall prevention and out-of-bed detections.

In recently years, the Government is introducing more information technology and Gerontech products with reference to other countries to enhance the quality of life of service users and to reduce pressure among care staff and family carers. The Government and Hong Kong Council of Social Service have started to organise the “Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit (GIES)” since 2017, which aims to provide an international platform for stakeholders to engage in the development of gerontechnology for the ageing population in Hong Kong (The Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit, 2020). Besides, the Government has earmarked HK$1 billion for the “Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care” (I&T Fund) in 2018 (Social Welfare Department, 2020d). The first round has been approved to subsidise more than HK$37 million to 210 elderly and rehabilitation service units to purchase or rent a total of 870 technology products, such as electric nursing beds, lifting and transfer machine “SASUKE Robohelper”, rehab training manipulator “HandyRehab”, interactive robot “UNAZUKI KABOCHAN”, multi-sensory emotion comforting pillow “inmuRELAX”, VR bicycle machine, and face recognition technology APP for pain assessment (HKET, 2020, January 8; Hong Kong Council of Social Service, 2019; Job Market, 2020, February 28). Some more examples of using technology in dementia care are described as follows:

Care-on-Call services

Senior Citizen Home Safety Association provides 24-hour care-on-call service to older people including people with dementia. It uses mobile positioning technology to locate the users and family members can check their locations easily via the “e-See Find” App by smart phone. The users can also seek help from passers-by using a remote-control ringer. This helps the users to forward phone calls to families and friends. Besides, it can regularly remind the users for outpatient appointments and provide useful information when needed (Senior Citizen Home Safety Association, 2019).

Anti-wandering vests

One of the main NGOs, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, has developed anti-wandering vests with GPS positioning device for older people with dementia at risk of wandering. The organisation has provided the vests to Day Care Centres, District Elderly Community Centres, and Specialised Services Units for Dementia Care to prevent the loss of wandering elders (Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, 2017).

Smart shoes

Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and Hong Kong Productivity Council have produced 100 smart shoes using an RFID tag for indoors and GPS tracking system for outdoors. They were distributed to elderly centres for trial with a successful result that allows family members to easily check the location of elders through an online platform to ensure their safety (Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, 2018).

Caring Communities for Dementia Campaign

One of the dementia care units, the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing, has launched the Jockey Club Caring Communities for Dementia Campaign to increase public awareness on wandering behaviour of demented elders. It has developed a smart phone APP with GPS tracking device to shorten the searching time for wandering elders by involving people in the community to provide assistance (Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing, 2020a).

References:

Electrical and Mechanical Services Department. (2018). Shoes that Track the Aged.

HKET. (2020, January 8). News Report (樂齡創科基金首批批出3700萬元 院舍申購訓練護理器材減員工壓力).

Hong Kong Council of Social Service. (2019). SCENARIO ISSUE 66 (NOV 2019).

Job Market. (2020, February 28). Cover Story (減輕護理員壓力 加強專業培訓 樂齡基金十億資助添器材).

Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing. (2020a). Jockey Club Caring Communities for Dementia Campaign.

Senior Citizen Home Safety Association. (2019). Care-on-Call Service.

Social Welfare Department. (2020d). Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care.

The Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit. (2020). Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit (GIES).

Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. (2017). 2016-2017 Annual Report.