Jockey Club supports the Banyan Services Association Home for the Elderly - providing high-quality care to underprivileged senior citizens

03/02/2024 17:50

With Hong Kong facing a rapidly ageing population, the city has a growing need for residential care services. To address this need, and to help the underprivileged elderly age with dignity and respect, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has supported the Banyan Services Association (“BSA”) to renovate and purchase furniture and equipment for the new BSA Home for the Elderly.

Today (3 February) the home had its official opening ceremony. Officiating were HKSAR Government Financial Secretary Paul Chan, Club Steward Bernard Chan and Chairman of the BSA Peter Nip. Speaking at the ceremony, Bernard Chan said that Positive Ageing and Elderly Care is one of the priority areas of the Club’s charities strategy. The Club has long supported and initiated care services to enhance the elderly’s quality of life, helping them age with dignity. All of this is in accordance with the Club’s purpose of acting continuously for the betterment of our society.

The home mainly serves disadvantaged elderly singletons and doubletons who need residential care. The home has adopted the EA1 services standard under the Social Welfare Department’s Enhanced Bought Place Scheme with respect to staffing and space requirements. It provides single and double rooms with a homely design, featuring a variety of age-friendly furniture and facilities as well as gerontechnologies to support healthy and independent living. An isolation room and epidemic prevention facilities have also been established.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has long promoted healthy ageing and enhanced residential care services for the elderly. Projects supported and initiated through its Charities Trust include the Jockey Club Community eHealth Care Project to encourage the elderly to develop habits of self-monitoring their health and the Jockey Club Age-friendly City to promote an age-friendly culture. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jockey Club Facilities Enhancement Scheme for Pandemic Preparedness at Residential Care Homes helped elderly homes upgrade their safety and infection control facilities.

The Club’s support for these initiatives, like all of its charity donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and wagering generate employment, tax and charity support for the community.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class racing club that acts continuously for the betterment of our society. The Club has a unique integrated business model, comprising racing and racecourse entertainment, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contribution. Through this model, the Club generates economic and social value for the community and supports the HKSAR Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2022/23, the Club returned a total of HK$35.9 billion to the community. This included HK$28.6 billion to the HKSAR Government in duty, profits tax and Lotteries Fund contributions and HK$7.3 billion in approved charity donations.  The Club is Hong Kong's largest single taxpayer and one of the city’s major employers. Its Charities Trust is one of the world’s top ten charity donors.