創新護理 健康耆年
Electronic Painting and Peer Supportive (EPPS) Platform
This project evaluates Hong Kong’s first e-painting app for supporting family caregivers of persons with dementia. The app allows the caregivers to reduce stress through drawing and connecting to other caregivers for social support. A pilot study conducted by Prof. Angela LEUNG (Associate Head [Research] and Professor) and her team involved 28 family caregivers of persons with dementia using the e-painting app as an intervention for 8 weeks. The findings show that the caregivers considered the e-painting app to be a feasible and acceptable technology-based psychosocial platform. Over 2 years, the team will recruit over 800 family caregivers and 80 people with previous caring experience to use the app for 8 weeks to further evaluate and improve the functions of the app.
Project team: Prof. Angela LEUNG, Dr Teris CHEUNG (Assistant Professor), Dr Patrick KOR (Assistant Professor), and Prof. Hector TSANG (Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Interim Director of Mental Health Research Centre, Department of Rehabilitation Science, PolyU).
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Project team: Prof. Angela LEUNG, Dr Teris CHEUNG (Assistant Professor), Dr Patrick KOR (Assistant Professor), and Prof. Hector TSANG (Chair Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences and Interim Director of Mental Health Research Centre, Department of Rehabilitation Science, PolyU).
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A Health App for Post-Pandemic Years (HAPPY) for People with Physiological and Psychosocial Distress during the Post-Pandemic Era
This project is a HMRF-commissioned research study with an aim to examine the effects of the HAPPY app to release people’s distress syndromes during the post pandemic era by enhancing their self-management ability.
The HAPPY app is the first post-COVID app across the territory which employs non-pharmacological interventions for the management of users’ distress symptoms. Powered by an automated Digital Health Assistant, the HAPPY app triages users to receive different types of interventions, including motion-based exercise training, animated videos of mindfulness, energy saving and self-management, based on the initial assessments of their risk profile. In our previous pilot study, a total of 15 participants used the HAPPY app to alleviate their distress, and they reported improvement in mood regulation, more frequent exercising, and acquiring more knowledge related to distress management, compared to those in the waitlist control group who did not use the app. The HAPPY app is now *officially launched on iOS for iPhones and Google Play Store for Android phones.
*The app is currently for research purpose; it is not available for public download until the completion of the clinical trial.
Related Publication:
Liu JY-W, Man DW-K, Lai FH-Y, et al. A Health App for Post-Pandemic Years (HAPPY) for people with physiological and psychosocial distress during the post-pandemic era: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Digital Health. 2023;9. doi:10.1177/20552076231210725 (Impact factor: 3.9, Q1, Rank 17/87 in Health Policy & Service by Journal Citation Indictor, JCI) 更多隱藏
The HAPPY app is the first post-COVID app across the territory which employs non-pharmacological interventions for the management of users’ distress symptoms. Powered by an automated Digital Health Assistant, the HAPPY app triages users to receive different types of interventions, including motion-based exercise training, animated videos of mindfulness, energy saving and self-management, based on the initial assessments of their risk profile. In our previous pilot study, a total of 15 participants used the HAPPY app to alleviate their distress, and they reported improvement in mood regulation, more frequent exercising, and acquiring more knowledge related to distress management, compared to those in the waitlist control group who did not use the app. The HAPPY app is now *officially launched on iOS for iPhones and Google Play Store for Android phones.
*The app is currently for research purpose; it is not available for public download until the completion of the clinical trial.
Related Publication:
Liu JY-W, Man DW-K, Lai FH-Y, et al. A Health App for Post-Pandemic Years (HAPPY) for people with physiological and psychosocial distress during the post-pandemic era: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Digital Health. 2023;9. doi:10.1177/20552076231210725 (Impact factor: 3.9, Q1, Rank 17/87 in Health Policy & Service by Journal Citation Indictor, JCI) 更多隱藏
Horticulture Therapy
Horticulture and multi-sensory stimulation interventions have been shown to be effective in alleviating the behavioural symptoms (e.g. agitation, wandering) and psychological symptoms (e.g. depression, anxiety) of older people with cognitive problems. However, such interventions have several limitations and constraints: (1) there is a lack of space and opportunities for conducting horticulture activities in high-density cities such as Hong Kong, especially in elderly centres with limited space; (2) unpredictable weather can affect the progress of the horticultural activities, and some older people might experience exhaustion due to extreme weather conditions (e.g. too hot or too cold); (3) outdoor plants, insects, and pests (e.g. mosquitos) can affect the outdoor environment and health of older people; (4) older people with cognitive problems (e.g. poor memory) often forget how to care for and water plants; and (5) family caregivers have limited involvement in the intervention and do not experience any beneficial effects.
To overcome the above limitations, the research team led by Principal Investigator Dr Patrick KOR (Assistant Professor) propose to develop and test the effects of a technology-enabled horticulture intervention with multi-sensory stimulation activities, which can be delivered by trained family caregivers at home at any time, supported by remote technical support. After three sessions of training in elderly centres, the programme will provide older people with a ‘smart grower’ to perform the horticultural activities with their family caregivers at home. The project is supported by the Bright Future Charitable Foundation (HK$3 million).
Project team: Prof. Frances WONG (Chair Professor of Advanced Nursing Practice and Associate Dean [FHSS]), Dr Daphne CHEUNG (Associate Professor), Dr Justina LIU (Associate Professor), and Dr Arkers WONG (Assistant Professor). 更多隱藏
To overcome the above limitations, the research team led by Principal Investigator Dr Patrick KOR (Assistant Professor) propose to develop and test the effects of a technology-enabled horticulture intervention with multi-sensory stimulation activities, which can be delivered by trained family caregivers at home at any time, supported by remote technical support. After three sessions of training in elderly centres, the programme will provide older people with a ‘smart grower’ to perform the horticultural activities with their family caregivers at home. The project is supported by the Bright Future Charitable Foundation (HK$3 million).
Project team: Prof. Frances WONG (Chair Professor of Advanced Nursing Practice and Associate Dean [FHSS]), Dr Daphne CHEUNG (Associate Professor), Dr Justina LIU (Associate Professor), and Dr Arkers WONG (Assistant Professor). 更多隱藏
Individualized Dietary Behavioral Change Programme
Sarcopenic obesity is a health condition that significantly affects older adults, increasing their risk of heart disease, physical impairment, and even premature death. The condition is more harmful than sarcopenia or obesity alone and affects 9.95% of older adults in China and 11% worldwide, with a prevalence exceeding 23% among those aged over 75.1,2 This study aims to address this issue by investigating the effects of a personalised diet and exercise programme on 380 older individuals with sarcopenic obesity. The participants will be divided into four groups: one will follow a combined diet and exercise programme, one will follow only the exercise programme, a third will follow only the diet programme, and a control group will receive health talks with no other intervention.
The diet programme is grounded in the Health Action Process Approach model, which is a proven method of improving self-efficacy. It is hypothesised that all three intervention groups will show better health outcomes than the control group, with the combined diet and exercise group expected to show the most significant improvement.
The findings of this study could have substantial implications for public health. If successful, it could pave the way for the development of similar programmes for other populations, such as those with sarcopenia, obesity, or symptoms of frailty.
References:
1. Lu L, He X, Song Y, Zhuang M, Wu X, Chen N. Prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia without obesity and sarcopenic obesity among Chinese community older people in suburban area of Shanghai: A cross-sectional study. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022;14:1034542. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.1034542
2. Gao Q, Mei F, Shang Y, et al. Global prevalence of sarcopenic obesity in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Nutr. Jul 2021;40(7):4633-4641. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2021.06.009 更多隱藏
The diet programme is grounded in the Health Action Process Approach model, which is a proven method of improving self-efficacy. It is hypothesised that all three intervention groups will show better health outcomes than the control group, with the combined diet and exercise group expected to show the most significant improvement.
The findings of this study could have substantial implications for public health. If successful, it could pave the way for the development of similar programmes for other populations, such as those with sarcopenia, obesity, or symptoms of frailty.
References:
1. Lu L, He X, Song Y, Zhuang M, Wu X, Chen N. Prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia without obesity and sarcopenic obesity among Chinese community older people in suburban area of Shanghai: A cross-sectional study. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022;14:1034542. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.1034542
2. Gao Q, Mei F, Shang Y, et al. Global prevalence of sarcopenic obesity in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Nutr. Jul 2021;40(7):4633-4641. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2021.06.009 更多隱藏
E-bibliotherapy
Dementia caregivers often encounter challenges to their psychological well-being due to limited access to community services, passive help-seeking behaviours, and a lack of face-to-face interventions. To overcome these barriers, this project introduces an innovative solution: e-bibliotherapy. We will develop an e-bibliotherapy app to deliver the intervention that we have worked on over recent years. This pioneering project aims to enhance the psychological well-being of caregivers by fostering self-awareness and promoting self-care practices. One hundred and ninety-two caregivers will be recruited and randomly assigned to either an intervention or a control group. The intervention group will receive eight weekly sessions of e-bibliotherapy, while the control group will receive information on daily living at an equivalent dosage. By harnessing technology and adopting an accessible intervention approach, this project represents a remarkable stride forward, as it addresses the challenges of caregivers while offering a novel means to augment their psychological well-being. The development and utilisation of the e-bibliotherapy app within this context exemplify the potential of technology to effectively support dementia caregivers. The project will contribute to the field of dementia caregiving while establishing a solid foundation for future interventions aimed at exerting positive impacts on caregivers’ lives.
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