‘Generations Connect’ Project aims to help boost the well-being of 10,000 elderly
HKU medical students to participate in community visits to encourage eHealth literacy improvement of the elderly

e-Health Literacy is closely related to the health and well-being of the elderly. Sino Group and the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, in collaboration with the School of Nursing, LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (“HKUMed”), and charitable organisations and NGOs, launched the ‘Generations Connect’ project (“The Project”) to connect young people and the elderly through community intervention and behavioural coaching. Integrating the concept of e-Health Literacy, with an emphasis on preventive care and self-care management, the Project aims to help the elderly keep abreast of practical e-health tools to improve health. A recent pilot study showed that nearly 70% of the elderly have a low level of e-Health Literacy, and their family happiness index is also relatively low.

The ‘Generations Connect’ project launched a pilot scheme in November last year, arranging workshops for HKUMed nursing students to enhance their skills for better communication with the elderly. They visited over 100 elderly people and conducted surveys and assessments of their physical and mental health. This shows our care for the elderly, while the data will be analysed to understand the elderly’s mobile phone use behaviours and eHealth Literacy levels, as preliminary reference for the Project. The two-year ‘Generations Connect’ project was officially launched earlier this year, expanding beyond nursing students to include students of the School of Chinese Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, and School of Public Health as ambassadors of the Project. Over 1,000 healthcare professional students are expected to participate, providing services to 10,000 elderly people and assisting them in adapting to post-pandemic life and taking care of their physical, psychological, and mental health and wellbeing.

Mr Chris Sun, JP, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Professor Sophia Chan, GBS, JP, Professor of the School of Nursing of HKUMed, Mr Daryl Ng, SBS, JP, Deputy Chairman of Sino Group and Director of the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, and Ms Nikki Ng, Group General Manager of Sino Group and Director of the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation officiated the ‘Generations Connect’ sharing session today. Also present at the session were the advisors Dr Lam Ching Choi, SBS, JP, Member of Executive Council of Hong Kong, and Dr Leong Che-hung, GBM, GBS, OBE, JP, who exchanged ideas with representatives from 11 charitable organisations and NGOs, HKU students, and the elderly. The research results of the pilot scheme were also announced during the sharing session.
Mr Chris Sun, JP, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, said: ” Ageing in Place is an important working direction of the Elderly Commission in its blueprint. At present, one-fifth of the local population in Hong Kong is elderly, and there will be one elderly for every four people in the future. Especially in the digital age, teaching the elderly to use smartphones to improve their health is of great importance. This project, supported by Sino Group, closely follows the theme that the government is keen to promote and mobilise young students to care for the elderly and achieve inter-generational integration. Secondly, the project leverages the students’ familiarity with technology, not only teaching the elderly to use technology, but also combining offline services such as visitations to establish a relationship with the elderly. Thank you for Sino Group’s HK$10 million funding to this project; it has inspired 1,000 students to help 10,000 elderly. I look forward to the project’s success and the plan’s expansion in the future to continue contributing to the cause of elderly care.”

Professor Sophia Chan, GBS, JP, Professor of the School of Nursing of HKUMed and Project Director, said, ‘It is our honour to have the support of Sino Group and the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation to provide the school with an opportunity to work with 11 local charitable organisations and NGOs on providing evidence-based health interventions to the elderly. We observed that the elderly with high level of e-Health Literacy have better physical, psychosocial and mental wellbeing. As the elderly population grows, social and medical care demand increases. The pilot study found that among the 70% of elderly persons who completed the two-week follow-up, the rate of low e-Health Literacy dropped from 66% to 56%, providing initial evidence that the intervention by nursing students is useful in strengthening their e-Health Literacy. In addition, the Project received very positive feedback from the students, who demonstrated a higher level of affective empathy, intellectual empathy and self-efficacy after participation. Nearly 90% of them believe that this experience helped them improve their communication skills with the elderly, become better listeners, and gain better knowledge in health and care for the elderly.

Mr Daryl Ng, SBS, JP, Deputy Chairman of Sino Group and Director of the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, said, ‘We are delighted to work with like-minded community partners on programmes focused on improving the wellbeing of the elderly. I am thankful for the collaboration with The School of Nursing at HKUMed and 11 community partners to launch this meaningful programme and connect young people with the elderly in need. Through this programme, healthcare students provide compassionate care to the elderly with love and professional knowledge, while also facilitating the transfer of wisdom from the elderly to the younger generation and strengthening communication across different generations.”

Ms Nikki Ng, Group General Manager of Sino Group and Director of the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, said, ‘In recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, elderly people have had to stay mostly at home and have been prone to emotional challenges. I am delighted to see this Project effectively assisting the elderly in adapting to post-pandemic life, learning to access pertinent information from the internet, enhancing their emotional resilience, and fostering a positive and energetic lifestyle. It is very encouraging to see caring and enthusiastic young people getting involved in practical training and willing to learn the skills needed to help the elderly, expressing respect, love and care for them.’

According to the survey conducted during the ‘Generations Connect’ pilot scheme, 89% of the 104 elderly respondents with an average age of 80 own smartphones; however, the e-Health Literacy of 69% of the respondents was lower than the ideal. 61% of the elderly spend less than an hour a day on their phones, using them mainly for contacting family members and watching videos. Only 31% used their phones to search for health-related information online. Compared with elderly people with higher e-Health Literacy scores, the preliminary research data of the pilot study shows that those with lower scores had poor mental health conditions (9% vs 16%) and felt lonely (15% vs 21%). On a scale of 0 to 10, those with low e-Health Literacy also had lower family happiness (7.4 vs 8.0) and family communication quality (7.5 vs 7.9). Although there is no statistically significant difference in the analysis at this stage, the initial findings reflect that improving the e-Health Literacy of the elderly could help improve their wellbeing.

Participating charitable organisations and NGOs in this Project include Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association Social Service, Christian Family Service Centre, Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service – Hong Kong, Haven of Hope Christian Service, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited, Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association, Methodist Centre, The Hong Kong Society for the Aged, The Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society – Kowloon, The Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council, and United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service.

Sino Group Sponsors New Clothes and Festive Items to Celebrate the Lunar New Year with Over 10,000 People in Need from Underprivileged Families

With the Lunar New Year approaching, shopping for new clothes and other festive items is a tradition to start the new year. Sino Group (‘the Group’) and the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation (‘NTFCF’) have launched festive care programmes to bring festive cheer to over 10,000 underprivileged people and the Group’s frontline colleagues. In collaboration with more than 30 community partners, this year’s Spring Festival Programme continues to share the warmth of the season with less-resourced families, the elderly living alone, the minorities and the people with varying abilities through home visits and gifting, as well as by supporting people in need to buy new clothes and other items to welcome the Year of the Rabbit.

Mr Daryl Ng, Deputy Chairman of Sino Group and Director of the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, said, ‘The Lunar New Year is one of the most important festivals in the Chinese culture, but the preparation of new year items may also be a financial burden to underprivileged families. It is believed that wearing new clothes symbolises a new start and fresh hopes for the new year, and thus we sponsor less-resourced families including the elderly and our frontline colleagues to buy new shirts, pants and shoes, hoping that everyone can celebrate an auspicious start to the Year of the Rabbit. We are also thankful to our like-minded community partners and various major chain store operators for their support to bring the underprivileged the season’s blessings.’

Enjoying time with family and friends, sending greetings, going shopping and buying new clothes are festive traditions associated with celebrating the Lunar New Year. This year, the Group invited a number of popular retail chains to join hands in extending joyful greetings, including AEON Stores (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., Dr. Kong Footcare Limited, Marathon Sports, SKECHERS and UNIQLO. A total of HK$5 million has been donated by the NTFCF to sponsor people in need to purchase new clothes, shoes and other related items in Olympian City, Citywalk and TMT Plaza, as well as participating merchant shops in other locations.

Ms Nikki Ng, Group General Manager of Sino Group and Director of the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, has accompanied underprivileged families and the elderly to shop in the UNIQLO store at Olympian City in the spirit of hope and renewal. The Group’s employee volunteer team, Sino Caring Friends, has continued to visit various districts to give away seasonal food packs and confectioneries to less-resourced families in preparation for a brighter new year.

With Christmas approaching, Sino Group (‘the Group’) and the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation (‘NTFCF’) have launched a festive programme to reach out to those in need within our community and bring them the season’s blessings. Various activities have been conducted by the Group’s volunteer team, ‘Sino Caring Friends’, with gift packs benefitting about 3,000 underprivileged children and families as well as children and teenagers living in residential care homes. Additionally, as the intense winter monsoon reached Hong Kong last week, warm claypot rice was prepared for underprivileged families and children to provide warmth and show their care.

To celebrate the joy of the Christmas season, special open-top night bus tours are also being arranged for families and children in need, so that they can delight in the vibrant colours of the Christmas lights in Tsim Sha Tsui, including the iconic snowflake pattern that is lighting up the facades of Tsim Sha Tsui Centre and Empire Centre as a part of this exuberant annual festive tradition.

The Group and NTFCF also invited young residents of Children’s Homes to enjoy a Christmas buffet lunch at the Hong Kong Gold Coast Hotel and The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel Hong Kong. Celebrating with them, Mr Victor Tin, Executive Director of Sino Land Company Limited, presented each a Christmas gift.

Mr Daryl Ng, Deputy Chairman of Sino Group and Director of the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, said, ‘We are delighted to have the opportunity to support those in need by extending care and festive blessings in collaboration with our community partners and volunteer team. With bo jai fan (claypot rice), a traditional winter delicacy that represents togetherness and warmth, we also hope to warm hearts and stomachs amid the cold spell. We are thankful to our community partners and Sino Caring Friends for the tireless work to spread love in the community and enable more people to enjoy a happy festive season.’

‘Generations Connect’ Project Brings Young People Together with the Elderly to Boost Emotional Resilience

In recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, elderly people have had to stay mostly at home. Confined to small living spaces for prolonged periods, many senior citizens have been prone to emotional challenges, affecting their mental wellbeing and health. Sino Group (‘the Group’) and the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation (‘NTFCF’), in collaboration with the School of Nursing, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong (‘HKUMed’), and charitable organisations and NGOs, announced the launch of the two-year ‘Generations Connect’ Project (‘the Project’) to bring young people together with the elderly in an initiative that will see over 1,000 nursing students providing community intervention and behavioural coaching. Integrated with the concept of e-health literacy, the Project aims to enhance the physical, psychosocial and mental wellbeing of the elderly amid the epidemic. With the target of serving 10,000 elderly people, the Project will commence in November this year with its first phase of pilot services.

HKU Nursing Students Offer Personalised Support to 10,000 Elderly People
Supported by a HK$10 million joint donation from the Group and the NTFCF, the School of Nursing of HKUMed, and eleven charitable organisations and NGOs will be devising the scope of services in tandem to focus on the needs of the elderly aged 65 or above. Coupled with the domain knowledge of HKUMed’s nursing curricula, the Project will also develop an elderly-friendly e-platform and mobile app. Nursing students will build relationships with the elderly and engage them in dialogue to promote health and wellbeing through regular home visits, phone greetings and video conferencing. Self-care tips for COVID-19, health assessments, and mental health education will also be offered to provide timely and appropriate support for those in need. In addition, the Project will organise various activities to encourage them to cultivate healthy hobbies and expand their social circle for the holistic improvement of mental health, lifestyle and overall wellbeing.

Tailored Wellbeing Online Platform for the Elderly
With more and more elderly people becoming familiar with mobile apps for communication, the concept of Mobile Health (‘mHealth’) is being integrated into this Project with a specially curated health benefit-focused e-platform tailored to the needs of the elderly. With personalised support from the nursing students, elderly people can learn to access pertinent information, training materials, games and videos, cultivating their eHealth literacy. With an emphasis on preventative care and self-help health resources, the Project aims at encouraging the elderly to keep abreast of developments in public e-health services moving forward. Those facing difficulties in using the Internet will also be assisted through agile support services.

In addition to support services for the elderly in need, the School of Nursing, HKUMed will leverage two years of clinical data and application cases to study the effectiveness of community interventions for improving the physical and mental health of the elderly in Hong Kong. Training workshops facilitated by charitable organisations and NGOs will also help upgrade the skills of nursing students for better communication with the elderly, while giving them the opportunity to put what they have learnt into practice.

Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee, the School of Nursing of HKUMed, said, ‘The School and I are honoured to receive this generous donation from Sino Group and the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, and for the opportunity to work with eleven local charitable organisations and NGOs to enhance the health and wellbeing of the elderly, as well as their capability of using electronic devices in communication. As the elderly population grows, demand for social and medical care increases. The School of Nursing proactively offers various intervention activities to enhance communication with the elderly and enable early assessment of their physical and mental health, providing timely support and improving the elderly’s skills in coping with the challenges of life, and enhancing their wellbeing and quality of life. HKUMed’s School of Nursing offers comprehensive training in nursing, preparing students to serve the community and safeguard public health.’

‘The young nursing students are dynamic and radiant, and ready to unleash their creativity as they design effective means of communication with the elderly under this Project, which blends curriculum teaching and research. In so doing, the students may contribute not only to building closer ties across generations, but also promoting the physical and mental health of the elderly. This Project aims at helping the elderly adopt a healthy lifestyle and increase their health awareness using a preventive approach, which aligns with the Government’s policy of strengthening primary health care in the community. It will prepare and highlight students’ roles as health coaches in promoting elderly health in the community,’ added Professor Chan.

Mr Daryl Ng, Deputy Chairman of Sino Group and Director of the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, said, ‘Sino Group and the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation are delighted to partner with The School of Nursing of HKUMed, The University of Hong Kong and eleven community partners and NGOs in this meaningful programme. We believe that the youth of Hong Kong is full of compassion and care for others, and with the ageing of the Hong Kong population, a particularly vulnerable group are the elderly. Through pairing up youth volunteers with the elderly in need, we hope that a beneficial synergy can come about allowing the elderly to be cared for and the youth volunteers to learn important life lessons.’

Participating charitable organisations and NGOs in this Project include Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association Social Service, Christian Family Service Centre, Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service – Hong Kong, Haven of Hope Christian Service, The Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, Kowloon, Methodist Centre, The Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council, The Hong Kong Society for the Aged, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited, United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service, and Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association.

Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation Donates to Eight Charitable Organisations to Support Underprivileged Families, Students and the Elderly in Combating the Pandemic

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people from all walks of life. The Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation (‘NTFCF’) today announced a donation of HK$8 million to eight charitable organisations in support of their community service provisions for underprivileged families, students and the elderly who are facing potential health challenges during this critical time.

As the pandemic situation continues, there is a surging demand for support for underprivileged families and the elderly. In view of the new school year approaching, support for the less-resourced students is also essential. The NTFCF is donating HK$1 million to each of eight local charitable organisations, namely Caritas Hong Kong, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, Lok Sin Tong, Po Leung Kuk, Pok Oi Hospital, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, Yan Chai Hospital Social Services Department, and Yan Oi Tong. Through the donations, the NTFCF wishes to provide timely and appropriate support to those in need in the community, including underprivileged students, the elderly, families living in sub-divided units and ethnic minorities, etc., for the provision of a range of services including:

• Anti-epidemic support including rapid antigen test kits, nutritious meals and urgent care services for less-resourced families and students;
• Chinese and Western medical support for recovered patients with the symptoms of ‘post COVID-19 condition’;
• Emergency support for less-resourced families undergoing home quarantine;
• Telemedicine services for the underprivileged and the elderly affected by the pandemic as well as prevention and recovery support;
• Anti-epidemic supplies for the elderly and the less-resourced to prevent the spread of the virus among vulnerable groups;
• Home cleaning and anti-virus coating spray services for the elderly in need and families with poor living conditions.

Mr Daryl Ng, Director of the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, said ‘I would like to express my gratitude to the Government for their tremendous effort in the fight against the pandemic and my heartfelt appreciation to all the medical professionals on the frontline for their dedicated efforts to remain committed and safeguard Hong Kong during the critical period. With the new school year approaching, we hope to provide timely support to the students along with our community partners. We are thankful to our eight partners who have been so committed to supporting the less-resourced and those in need in the community through providing relentless support and safeguarding public health throughout the pandemic. We shall continue to work with like-minded partners to provide appropriate care and support to those in need.’

Sino Group and Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation Launch Summer Programme to Provide Immediate Support for the Community
10,000 drink cards, meals and ice-cream are being provided to help the community cope with the hot days

Sino Group and its philanthropic arm, the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation (NTFCF), have launched a summer programme in collaboration with community partners to provide immediate support for the less-resourced amid the heatwave.

Sino Caring Friends, the Group’s volunteer team, as well as community partners J Life Foundation and Pei Ho (Ming Gor) Charity Foundation joined hands in distributing 3,000 cans of chilled Yeo’s drinks to people living in Shamshuipo on 22 July 2022 to help them stay hydrated amid the high temperature, in particular with the ‘Great Heat Day’ (23 July 2022) approaching.

In addition to handing out on the street, the Group and the NTFCF are distributing 200,000 cans of Yeo’s drinks to people living in sub-divided units in collaboration with 20 community partners, who will distribute 10,000 drink cards imprinted with a dedicated QR code, each entitling the cardholder to 20 cans of drinks from designated vending machines in various districts in Hong Kong. Drinks can be collected from now until 31 October 2022. To further help people living in sub-divided units to cope with the hot weather, electric fans will be provided through community partners upon request.

People’s livelihoods have been greatly affected by the pandemic, especially the less-resourced. The Group and the NTFCF are starting the second year of the meal donation programme, through which 10,000 nutritious meals prepared by the Pei Ho (Ming Gor) Charity Foundation in Shamshuipo will be provided for the needy individuals and families. The meals are carefully designed and feature dishes suitable for summer, and completed with ice-cream, making them particularly appealing on hot days.

Mr Daryl Ng, Deputy Chairman of Sino Group and Director of the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, joined Sino Caring Friends in distributing the refreshing chilled beverages in Shamshuipo on 22 July 2022. ‘Like many other places, Hong Kong is facing an extremely hot summer with the “Very Hot Weather Warning” issued more frequently. By serving chilled drinks and providing cooling products on very hot days, we hope to show our care and concern while reminding them to stay hydrated and safe amid the hot weather,’ remarks Mr Ng.

‘We are thankful to J Life Foundation, Ming Gor and our community partners, who join us on this summer programme to provide much-needed support for the community, and to our Sino Caring Friends for their tireless services. We look forward to working with more partners to support those in need,’ adds Mr Ng.