CUHK
News Centre

To promote positive ageing and raise the awareness of the general public on various ageing-related issues, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust (HKJC) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Jockey Club Institute of Ageing have sponsored Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) to produce a ten-episode series TV programme entitled “Smart Elderly” for broadcasting on TVB Jade and RTHK Channel 31. 

At the announcement of the series today (24 June), the Deputy Director of CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing, Prof. Timothy Kwok, was joined by HKJC’s Executive Manager, Charities, Ms. Imelda Chan, Assistant Director of Broadcasting Ms. Chan Man-kuen, and other guests.  The first episode will be broadcast on TVB Jade on 30 June. 

Professor Kwok said the Institute has been pursuing ageing-related projects and research since its establishment, and public education is a key element.  He thanked the support of the Hong Kong Jockey Club in producing the “Smart Elderly” TV programme which would help arouse public awareness of ageing issues through delivering messages on various issues faced by older people in an ageing society. 

Ms Chan said The Jockey Club Charities Trust has taken a proactive role in addressing the challenges of the ageing population and catering to the needs of older people. To mark its 130th Anniversary this year, the Club has stipulated that “build Hong Kong into an age-friendly city” will be one of the three overarching strategic themes in the coming three to five years. “In 2000, the Club set up the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing – the first centre in Hong Kong specialised in care for older persons with dementia.  The Club also initiated the ‘CADENZA: A Jockey Club Initiative for Seniors’ in 2006 to revolutionise people’s views and care for older people with innovative projects in order to address elderly needs and enhance the quality of services for them.” 

Each episode in the “Smart Elderly” TV programme will highlight a topic and messages through documentary, interviews and interactive games with older people.  Topics covered will include financial arrangements, manpower issues in the elderly care service industry; care for older people with dementia; home design and product design for older people; older people living alone; post-retirement work and life; relationship of older people with family members and relationship with spouses.  Key episodes will be broadcast on TVB Jade and RTHK 31 every Tuesday from 30 June to 28 July at 7pm.  Ten one-hour episodes will be broadcast every Wednesday between 8:30 and 9:30pm starting from 12 August on RTHK 31 which can also be viewed online on the RTHK website (http://tv.rthk.org.hk).  

A story-telling competition has also been launched to arouse interest in the programme.  Winning stories will be broadcast in the episodes. 

The CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing

The Institute was established in 2014 with the generous donation of HK$12 million from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, which also covered its operating cost for the first 5 years.  Prof. Jean Woo, also Director of the Trust’s CADENZA Project, has been appointed as the Director of the Institute.  The Institute is actively pursuing community outreach initiatives, research projects and training programmes which contribute to overcoming the challenges brought by the ageing population in Hong Kong.  For more details about the Institute, please click http://www.ioa.cuhk.edu.hk/en-GB/.