Care workers play a pivotal role in safeguarding the wellbeing of older adults. Yet very often, the scope of practice in caring is focused on the physical comfort and safety with limited attention to cater to the strengths and preferences of the older adult. Is that the best care we can give our older population? The program, Guardians of the Silver Age (the “Program”), sets out to start a conversation and refresh our perspective on “care”.
The D. H. Chen Foundation (“the Foundation”) and Generation Hong Kong (“GenHK”), a McKinsey-founded non-profit with expertise in developing and implementing targeted training and professional support for different sectors to tackle their pain points, have co-initiated the Program with the vision to redefine care and foster a compassionate eldercare ecosystem.
The Program is comprised of training including innovative gerontechnology, on-the-job advice, mentorship, and alumni support components. It centers not only on the technical proficiency of the learners upon graduation, but also on their behavioral and mindset change in the process, offering them a holistic and compassion-based point of view in the value of their role towards enabling the wellbeing of older adults, and bringing peace of mind to their daily lives.
Recognizing the importance of multi-partner co-creation in the process, the Foundation believes that an active engagement of employers in curriculum design, values alignment with program delivery partners and software / hardware support to learners, is key to the Program’s implementation and dissemination.
A new concept of Re-enablement Care Model 自立支援 (“RCM”) will be introduced in the Program’s training. RCM is a care concept that places strong emphasis on the preference and choice of the user, the older adults. It is an emerging concept originated from Japan and Taiwan, and more elderly homes and community centers in Hong Kong are adopting RCM practices in its service. The Program offers upskilling workshops to supervisors and frontline staff in the existing workforce to help to align values and mindsets to facilitate the delivery of compassionate and person-centered care to the older adults.
With the success of the one-year pilot program that around 73% graduates have joined the eldercare sector, and by involving multiple stakeholders to leverage their expertise and experience, the Program is paving the way towards delivering first-rate, compassionate care that our older generation justly deserves so that they would enjoy a high quality of life and holistic wellbeing.
More program details: https://hongkong.generation.org/eldercare/