Last month, I was invited to deliver a seminar to the professional staff at the Haven of Hope Sister Annie Skau Holistic Care Centre. The seminar covered a range of topics, including current demographic trends and characteristics of local caregivers of older adults, caregiver needs screening, psychological interventions for caregivers experiencing distress, planning the caregiving journey, and case sharing.
Two important themes emerged during the professional exchange in the seminar. First, the staff at the Centre had heard many accounts from new caregivers who were struggling to navigate local services and to acquire the knowledge required to provide care. Given the rapidly ageing population in Hong Kong, it would be beneficial to provide broad public education before the majority of people inevitably become home caregivers. In fact, I believe that the frequency and intensity of such public education should be comparable to the level at which the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) was promoted in Hong Kong, i.e., a necessity.
The second important theme discussed was the limited awareness of caregiving planning among new caregivers. New caregivers often focus only on immediate and obvious problems without anticipating upcoming challenges. Moreover, a comprehensive care plan should not only address the needs of the care recipient but also those of the caregiver, including his or her life goals, the balance between personal and caregiving time, and a plan for self-care.
By: Kenneth KWOK, Research Officer
Email: kenkwok0@hku.hk