With funding support from Phase 2 of the Mental Health Initiatives Funding Scheme, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) collaborated with the Spastics Association of Hong Kong (SAHK) and the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (NLPRA) in the project titled “Enhancing the Mental Health of Carers of Persons with Disabilities with Support Services Delivered by Trained Carer Support Ambassadors”, which aims to implement a short-term certificate programme for frontline workers such as occupational therapy assistants, rehabilitation assistants, patient care assistants and welfare workers to become Carer Support Ambassadors who will deliver mental health support to carers of persons with disabilities. Under the project, 25 frontline workers were trained to become Carer Support Ambassadors, providing support to 110 carers. PolyU held a symposium cum graduation ceremony on 16 January 2025, bringing together carers, ambassadors and experts participating in the project to celebrate project achievements.
The event was graced by the presence of leaders in mental health profession, including Prof. Hector TSANG, Principal Investigator of the project, Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences, and Member the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC); Mr Fletch CHAN, Commissioner for Rehabilitation of the HKSAR; Ms Maggie LEUNG, Assistant Director (Rehabilitation & Medical Social Services), Social Welfare Department of the HKSAR; and Prof. Sylvia CHEN, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Chair Professor of Social and Cultural Psychology, and Interim Director of MHRC.
At the symposium, different parties in the project gave sharing and keynote presentations on the project details and outcomes. Prof. Tsang gave a brief overview about the project, while Ms Edith HUNG of SAHK and Ms Sara CHAN of NLPRA shared the experiences and benefits from participating in the project. Dr TSUI Chi-man, Research Assistant Professor in the RS Department, who is also a member of the project team, explained the components of the training programme, which included common mental health issues related to carers, therapeutic communication, lifestyle redesign, complementary approaches for mental health, and useful skills to manage crisis. Another project team member, Dr Erin LU, Research Assistant Professor in the same department and Member of MHRC, gave details about the Pilot Program on Carer Mental Health Support, which provided carers with various support services including ongoing monitoring of mental health using psychological scales, peer support workshops, and support in accessing professional help for individuals in need. The program was delivered by the train ambassadors.
At the graduation ceremony, two carers and three trained ambassadors participating in the project gave heartful sharing about their first-hand experiences in the project, explaining how they benefitted from receiving proactive mental health support and participating in meaningful ambassador services respectively. The officiating guests also presented certificates to trained ambassadors attending the event.
The event concluded with resounding success, not only promoting greater awareness of the mental health of carers of persons with disabilities, but also building connections among the higher education, social welfare and government sectors for future collaborations in the development of carer mental health support policies and services.
| Research Units | Mental Health Research Centre |
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