Dementia SMART - Support to Ethnic Minority Elders Project
Date: 01/04/2023
The Programme is ended on 1 April 2023.
Introduction
According to the “Acculturation and Needs Assessment of Elderly Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong: A Qualitative Study” jointly conducted by our agency and The University of Hong Kong (HKU) in 2018, Ethnic Minority (EM) elders encountered risk of cognitive impairment. A further study conducted by our agency and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2019 examining the dementia literacy among South Asian elders and their caregivers found that the initial result of the study echoed HKU’s finding that EM elders and caregivers’ knowledge on dementia was significantly inadequate, their language barrier and cultural beliefs had impeded them from seeking help which would cause delayed intervention and treatment. Therefore, more should be done to enhance EM community’s awareness on dementia.
With the generous support from The Community Chest of Hong Kong, a 2-year project, “Dementia SMART - Support to Ethnic Minority Elders Project” has been launched since 1 April 2021. It aims at enhancing the awareness and understanding on dementia in EM community, and further facilitating early identification as well as early intervention to the needy EM elders through community education.
Objectives
- To enhance EM elders and caregivers’ literacy on dementia;
- To facilitate early intervention on cognitive health issues of EM elders;
- To enhance EM community’s concerns on dementia and encourage mutual support among EM community on support to EM elders at risk of dementia.
Service Targets
- EM elders aged 60 or above in the community and their family members
- EM young generations (students and young adults)
- Other EM stakeholders including schools, local EM shops, religious and community bodies, etc.
Service Boundaries
Yau Tsim Mong and Yuen Long districts
Service Contents
- Cognitive Health Promotion Workshops
- Cognitive Health Promotion Stations
- Dementia SMART Friends (Volunteer) Training
- Multicultural Cognitive Health Facebook Page
- Multicultural Cognitive Health Game Kit Production