The Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) has achieved flying results at the 9th Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards 2021 organised by Ageing Asia in Singapore, clinching two grand prizes that recognise its outstanding achievements in elderly care services, including the "Innovation of the Year – Dementia Care Model Solution" for its MIND-Friendly Home Exploration Centre and the "Best Home Care Operator" for Joyous Circle of The Tanner Hill.
HKHS Chief Executive Officer James Chan said, "We are deeply honoured to receive the Awards. In the face of the ageing population in Hong Kong, the Housing Society pioneered elderly housing 20 years ago as a 'housing laboratory' and has developed an array of elderly services catering for the needs of the community. HKHS will continue to provide more quality and adequate elderly housing and services, with an aim to promote ageing-in-place, inter-generational harmony, as well as to build an elderly-friendly and inclusive society."
Opened in 2017, the MIND-Friendly Home Exploration Centre is the first of its kind in Hong Kong showcasing home designs, practical applications and new technology that enable a dementia-friendly home environment for minimising the difficulties faced by the elderly in daily living while strengthening the support to their families and caregivers. Joyous Circle is an eldercare facility inside The Tanner Hill, which consists of a Residential Care Home for the Elderly, a Day Care and Training Centre and a Rehabilitation Centre, offering one-stop services for elderly of different abilities, from seniors living independently to those in need of nursing home care.
Four other services and projects of HKHS were also shortlisted as finalists in the relevant categories of the Awards, including the "Caring, Engaging and Smart" team (Category: Innovation of the Year – Ageing-in-place Model), Cheerful Court of Senior Citizen Residences Scheme (Category: Facility of the Year – Ageing-in-place), The Tanner Hill Joyous Circle (Category: Best Day Centre Operator) and the research on psychosocial well-being of elderly residents in public subsidised housing (Category: Best Ageing Research). The "Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards" is an annual award established in 2013 to recognise innovative elderly care solutions in business operations and service models, it is also known as the "Oscars" in the eldercare sector. This year, more than 200 services or products from different countries and regions in Europe, America and Asia competed in 27 categories. The award ceremony was held in hybrid format in Singapore on 3 December 2021.
The Housing Society is committed to promoting innovation in its business operation. In addition to earning recognitions for its elderly services, it was recently awarded the "Good Practice of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) of 2021" in the "CGMA Annual Awards" for its application of robotic process automation technology to enhance operational efficiency and accuracy.
