With Hong Kong facing a rapidly ageing population, the number of elderly people suffering from chronic and terminal illnesses has been steadily increasing in recent years, leading to growing concern over the provision and choice of end-of-life care (EoLC) in the community. To help address this issue, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust (“the Trust”) has donated HK$131 million to pioneer a three-year Jockey Club End-of-Life Community Care Project (JCECC), bringing together two universities, five NGOs and the public and private healthcare sectors in a multi-disciplinary, cross-sector collaboration.
The JCECC project will pilot various community-based comprehensive EoLC services, either in elderly homes or at patients’ own homes, along with staff training and public education programmes. Officiating at its launch ceremony today (8 January) were Club Steward Dr Eric Li Ka Cheung, Secretary for Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man and President & Vice-Chancellor of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) Professor Peter Mathieson.
“The aim of the JCECCis to improve the quality of end-of-life care, enhance the capacity of service providers, and raise public awareness of this issue,” Dr Li explained. “In this way our senior citizens can make informed choices of care options and enjoy an improved quality of life at their last stage.”
Key elements of the JCECC are:
- Innovative EoLC service models. Five community EoLC service models will be piloted, with a special emphasis on bridging the healthcare and social care systems. These include:
- EoLC services in elderly homes. The Hong Kong Association of Gerontology will set up a district-based professional support team to offer on-site support to elderly homes and provide training for front-line staff. Home-like EoLC rooms will be established in the 24 participating elderly homes.
- Home-based EoLC services. Professional medical care teams will be set up by the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation and the Haven of Hope Christian Service to conduct regular home visits. Both cancer and non-cancer terminally-ill patients can be cared for at home alongside their families. Other services include training for patients and their family members and a tele-medicine service.
- Volunteer-focused psychosocial support services. EoLC practitioners and trained volunteer teams led by St James’ Settlement and SKH. Holy Carpenter Church District Elderly Community Centre respectively will also conduct home visits, providing various services including emotional support for patients and their families.
- Capacity building and public education. The University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong will provide training for healthcare personnel, as well as public education programmes to raise public awareness of EoLC in the community. They will also conduct evaluations of the five service models, and the data collected will serve as a reference for policy development on EoLC in Hong Kong.
These services are expected to benefit over 1,400 terminally-ill patients and about 6,300 professional and front-line staff over the next three years.
The Trust has been a long-standing supporter of projects that address the needs of the elderly. It has taken a number of initiatives to meet the increasing demand for hospice services, and to promote positive attitudes in society towards end-of-life challenges. These include funding the construction of Haven of Hope Holistic Care Centre in Tseung Kwan O to provide medical and nursing care for the chronically ill and frail elderly; and instigating the ENABLE Project, a Trust-funded programme implemented by HKU to promote local life and death education.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class horse racing operator and Hong Kong’s largest community benefactor, as well as one of Asia’s most prestigious membership clubs. Operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the Club allocates its surplus funds for charitable and community projects. In 2014/15, its donations reached a record HK$3.87 billion, and in the last decade alone it supported over 1,300 projects. The Club is also Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, contributing a record HK$20.05 billion in 2014/15. With about 70% of its revenue given back to society every year through donations and tax contributions, The Hong Kong Jockey Club delivers a significantly higher return to the community than any other racing and/or sports betting organisation in the world. As a socially responsible organisation, the Club helps Government combat illegal betting and advocates responsible gambling. The Club is also one of Hong Kong’s largest employers with over 24,000 full-time and part-time staff. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.
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Club Steward Dr Eric Li Ka Cheung says he hopes the JCECC will enable senior citizens to make informed choices of care options and enjoy an improved quality of life.
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Club Steward Dr Eric Li Ka Cheung (10th right) joins the Cluba£á?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (8th left), Secretary for Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man (10th left), President & Vice-Chancellor of The University of Hong Kong Professor Peter Mathieson (9th left), and representatives of participating NGOs at the launch ceremony of the JCECC.
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The Cluba£á?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (2nd left) is joined at the JCECC press conference by Professor Cecilia Chan (2nd right) of HKUa£á?s Department of Social Work and Social Administration; Professor Jean Woo (1st right) who is Director of the CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing; and Dr Edward Leung (1st left), President of the Hong Kong Association of Gerontology.
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