Gerontechnology products in the community

Hong Kong is facing an ageing population and an increasing demand for elderly services. Gerontechnology is a combination of elderly services and innovative technology. By developing new, tailor-made products for the elderly, it can help improve the lives of elderly persons and reduce the burden and stress of carers and nursing staff. Earlier, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) jointly held the Gerontech Youth Challenge to encourage youngsters to use their creativity as well as knowledge in the technology and electrical and mechanical (E&M) fields to come up with ideas on products that are friendly to the elderly in community care, institutional care and home care.

Under the theme of “Sharing Gerontechnology with the elderly to foster harmony between the elderly and the young”, the competition was open to student teams in three categories: the primary school level, the junior secondary school level and the senior secondary school level. The response to the competition was good, with the participation of a total of 72 teams from 43 schools. Nine winning teams were invited to attend the award presentation ceremony with an exhibition showcasing their design proposals. I have particularly invited some of the award winning students to share their design concepts with us.

Alleviating pressure on carers

The Gold Award winner in the senior secondary category was a team of five students from the Buddhist Wong Wan Tin College, who invented a set of electric-assisted tools for geriatric chairs (Geri chairs). The students told us that, to help them develop useful and practical products, they had visited a residential care home near their school to understand how carers looked after the elders. As pointed out by some carers, despite the availability of Geri chairs in many residential care homes to keep the elderly in a good posture even after sitting for a long time, the chairs are difficult for carers to move around with the considerable weight of elderly persons sitting on them. As it is a daily routine to move the chairs around, they are susceptible to strain injuries at work.

Inspired by the carers’ sharing, the students came up with “iGeri”, an electric mini pallet truck for propelling the Geri chairs, taking reference from the lifting principle for pallet trucks. By adjusting the powered handle to a suitable height, putting a Geri chair on, and using the driving force from the wheel hub motors of an electric balancing scooter, commonly known as “hotwheels”, carers could easily move Geri chairs with mechanical help to reduce their burden and pressure. The quality of elderly care services may also be enhanced.

Products tailor-made for the elderly

Students from the St. Teresa Secondary School, who were given a Gold Award in the junior secondary category, designed a mobile app named “Elderly Smart Health System”. Apart from providing extensive information on how to use various fitness facilities at parks, it enables the elderly to check post-exercise health information such as heartbeat, blood pressure and duration of exercise, so that they can keep an eye on their physical condition at any time.

To address forgetfulness associated with ageing, three students from the Po Leung Kuk Castar Primary School capturing a Gold Award in the primary category designed a smart device named “智精靈”. Using the radio frequency identification technology, it can be installed on the main doors to remind elderly users to bring with them all necessary items like keys and wallets on their way out. If they fail to do so, the device will issue an automatic alert. “智精靈” can also check if the cooking stoves have been turned off and issue timely alerts to the elderly who are leaving home.

Works filled with creativity and love

As a member of the judging panel, Mr PANG Yiu-hung, the Deputy Director of the EMSD, expressed pleasure in seeing young entrants taking an active role in adopting technology to design the products that are each and every one very creative and heart-warming. For example, the Gold Award winning team in the senior secondary category has integrated their E&M knowledge with programme writing to create a thoughtful tool that is both cost-effective and practical for staff of residential care homes, which he believed to have good potential for market adoption in future.

Fostering development of gerontechnology

The EMSD has been dedicated to promoting the use of innovative technology, aiming to enhance people’s quality of life through collaboration with other government departments, the E&M sector, the innovation and technology sector and social institutions. I know this is already the second year that the EMSD has collaborated with the HKCSS to organise an event with the theme of gerontechnology. The EMSD is also engaged in the drawing up of the Reference List of “Recognised Technology Application Products” for the “Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care”, and will provide technical support for the Fund with its professional knowledge, and assist social welfare organisations to purchase technology products or hire technology companies to develop innovative products, so as to improve the lives of the elderly and the carers.

 
Please click on the image above to watch the video.
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) earlier jointly held the Gerontech Youth Challenge, in which students from the Buddhist Wong Wan Tin College, the Gold Award winner in the senior secondary category, invented a set of electric-assisted tools for geriatric chairs (Geri chairs) to facilitate easy movement of the elderly in residential care homes.
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) earlier jointly held the Gerontech Youth Challenge, in which students from the Buddhist Wong Wan Tin College, the Gold Award winner in the senior secondary category, invented a set of electric-assisted tools for geriatric chairs (Geri chairs) to facilitate easy movement of the elderly in residential care homes.
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) earlier jointly held the Gerontech Youth Challenge, in which students from the Buddhist Wong Wan Tin College, the Gold Award winner in the senior secondary category, invented a set of electric-assisted tools for geriatric chairs (Geri chairs) to facilitate easy movement of the elderly in residential care homes.
The students especially pay a visit to a residential care home to learn how carers look after the elderly.
The students especially pay a visit to a residential care home to learn how carers look after the elderly.
Considerable weight will be added to a Geri chair when an elderly person sits on it, making it difficult for a carer to move it. The students have invented an electric mini pallet truck that can help reduce their burden in moving around the Geri chairs.
Considerable weight will be added to a Geri chair when an elderly person sits on it, making it difficult for a carer to move it. The students have invented an electric mini pallet truck that can help reduce their burden in moving around the Geri chairs.
Considerable weight will be added to a Geri chair when an elderly person sits on it, making it difficult for a carer to move it. The students have invented an electric mini pallet truck that can help reduce their burden in moving around the Geri chairs.
Students from the St. Teresa Secondary School, who were given a Gold Award in the junior secondary category, designed a mobile app named “Elderly Smart Health System”. Apart from carrying extensive information on how to use various fitness facilities at parks, it enables the elderly to check their physical condition immediately after exercise.
Students from the St. Teresa Secondary School, who were given a Gold Award in the junior secondary category, designed a mobile app named “Elderly Smart Health System”. Apart from carrying extensive information on how to use various fitness facilities at parks, it enables the elderly to check their physical condition immediately after exercise.
A device named “智精靈”, designed by the students from the Po Leung Kuk Castar Primary School, i.e., the Gold Award winner in the primary school category, not only checks if the cooking stoves have been turned off when the elderly leave home, but also reminds the elderly to bring with them all the necessary items like keys and wallets using radio-frequency identification technology.
A device named “智精靈”, designed by the students from the Po Leung Kuk Castar Primary School, i.e., the Gold Award winner in the primary school category, not only checks if the cooking stoves have been turned off when the elderly leave home, but also reminds the elderly to bring with them all the necessary items like keys and wallets using radio-frequency identification technology.
Under the theme of “Sharing Gerontechnology with the elderly to foster harmony between the elderly people and the young”, the competition is open to student teams in three categories: the primary level, the junior secondary level and the senior secondary level. The response to the competition was good, with the participation of a total of 72 teams from 43 secondary schools.
Under the theme of “Sharing Gerontechnology with the elderly to foster harmony between the elderly people and the young”, the competition is open to student teams in three categories: the primary level, the junior secondary level and the senior secondary level. The response to the competition was good, with the participation of a total of 72 teams from 43 secondary schools.
As a member of the judging panel, Mr PANG Yiu-hung, the Deputy Director of the EMSD, expresses pleasure in seeing that each and every one of the submissions are very creative and heart-warming, which he believes will have good potential for market adoption in future.
As a member of the judging panel, Mr PANG Yiu-hung, the Deputy Director of the EMSD, expresses pleasure in seeing that each and every one of the submissions are very creative and heart-warming, which he believes will have good potential for market adoption in future.

31 March, 2019

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