PolyU IAA hosts Jockey Club Age-friendly City Project Online Public Forum on Respect and Social Inclusion Exploring ways to promote a positive image of the elderly to build a culture of respect and inclusion in our society

The Institute of Active Ageing (“IAA”) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (“PolyU”) organised an online public forum on "Respect and Social Inclusion" yesterday (29 October 2020), with an attendance of around 220 participants from different sectors. As part of the Jockey Club Age-friendly City Project ("JCAFC Project"), the forum invited experts and guests to share their views on future trends and developments of an age-friendly city, with the aim of helping the public to have a better understanding about the needs of the elderly and to give recognition to their contributions. It is hoped that by promoting a positive image of the elderly, we are able to nurture an age-friendly culture that values respect and inclusion.

Ms Irene LEUNG, Head of Charities (Trust-Initiated Projects Management) of The Hong Kong Jockey Club delivered the opening remark at the forum. “The Jockey Club Age-friendly City Project has carried out about 140 community projects and benefited over 114,000 people, which has helped spread an age-friendly message in our society with encouraging results. This public forum allows different stakeholders and the elderly to exchange views and discuss the importance of ‘respect and social inclusion’ for improving the quality of life of the elderly. I hope that people from all walks of life will continue to actively participate and support and work together to build a culture of ‘respect and social inclusion’ for the elderly, so as to build Hong Kong into an age-friendly city,” said Ms Leung. In the keynote presentation, Dr LAM Ching-choi, Chairman of the Elderly Commission, shared his views on the opportunities and challenges in building a positive image for the elderly, while Dr Alma AU, Associate Professor, Department of Applied Social Studies of PolyU shared the findings and their implications of the baseline assessment related to respect and social inclusion under the JCAFC Project.

During the panel discussion, Dr BAI Xue, Director of IAA and Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences of PolyU served as a moderator to facilitate the discussion on ways to promote a positive image of older people so as to nurture a culture of respect and social inclusion in our community. Panelists that participated were: Dr LAM Ching-choi, Chairman of the Elderly Commission; Mr CHU Man-kin, Ricky, Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission; Ms SZETO Wai-chu, Rachel, Chief Officer (Elderly Service) of The Hong Kong Council of Social Service; Mr CHAN Ho-man, Herman, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Eldpathy; Ms Zip CHEUNG, Founder & CEO, OHH Dear Communications; and Mr CHUNG Yiu-kwong, Alonzo, Ambassador of the JCAFC Project. An interactive session was arranged during the forum where participants could express their views on different topics related to respect and social inclusion.

The JCAFC Project has been initiated and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust since 2015. In partnership with the gerontology research institutes of four local universities, the Project aims to address the challenges and opportunities of the ageing population in Hong Kong through different public education programmes including a series of public forums. In a cross-district baseline assessment on age-friendliness commissioned by the Project, public comments on the city’s age-friendliness were collected from respondants aged 18 or above, via 9,785 questionnaires and more than 90 focus groups. Findings revealed that among the eight domains of an age-friendly city identified by the World Health Organization ("WHO"), namely Outdoor spaces and buildings, Transportation, Housing, Social participation, Respect and social inclusion, Civic participation and employment, Communication and information, and Community support and health services, Respect and social inclusion was ranked third. The elderly in Hong Kong are in general treated with respect and friendliness, and are able to maintain a harmonious relationship with their neighbourhood and the younger generation. Furthermore, inclusive services such as discounts and priority queues are available for older people, and they can share their views on community issues by reaching out to District Council members and participating in meetings at elderly centres or estate committees. Nevertheless, acts of disrespect and neglect still exist and are yet to be improved.

PolyU IAA has produced a booklet with local and overseas examples about promoting respect and social inclusion, as well as recommendations for improving the image of the elderly. To have a better understanding about how to build an age-friendly community, please visit: www.jcafc.hk/uploads/docs/Resource-booklet_online-public-forum_29Oct2020.pdf.

*****End*****