CUHK
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CADENZA: An Elderly Friendly Hong Kong Educational Fair held today at the Jockey Club School of Public Health Building at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin. The event is organized by “CADENZA: A Jockey Club Initiative for Seniors” to promote positive ageing and to celebrate the Senior Citizens’ Day.

“Ageing brings challenges and opportunities to Hong Kong. To provide a happy retirement for each and every one of us, we must hold a more positive outlook on ageing. The CADENZA project will drive a series of public education programmes to enhance public understanding on the needs of our elders and provision of elderly services. We want to help change existing culture and improve the quality of life of our elders through innovative elderly services and training,” addressed by Mr. William Y Yiu, Executive Director, Charities of The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Professor Jean Woo, Professor of Medicine, CUHK and Director of the Cadenza Project added, “In an ageing society, we particularly need to change the negative image of ageing as undesirable, dependent, and necessarily accompanied by illness. In the design of various types of needs, the emphasis should be on the users’ perspective.”

The Educational Fair was an all day event and was freely open to the public. In the morning, there was an award presentation ceremony for the competition entitled “CADENZA: Reflections on the Beauty of Ageing – Images and Words”. This was followed by talks by two overseas experts – Professor John Morley from the University of St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. and Professor Kay-Tee Khaw from Cambridge University, U.K. – on the secrets of longevity: lifestyle or hormones, as well as a session on lifestyle and vascular health presented by Professor Jean Woo, Director of the CADENZA Project.

Throughout the day, there were displays and interactive sessions relating to six public education themes: positive ageing – health promotion and maintenance; ageism; availability of health and social services in Hong Kong; the living environment; quality of life and quality of dying; and legal and financial issues.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has approved HK$ 380 million for the five-year project entitled “CADENZA: A Jockey Club Initiative for Seniors”. The purpose of the project is to revolutionise the way society views and cares for its elders, and enhance their quality of life. More information about the event can be found on the CADENZA website at http://www.cadenza.org.hk.