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MEDIA CENTRE
Emperor Group is committed to promoting active aging and creating an elderly-friendly community. Last year, as part of Group 80th anniversary celebration, Emperor Foundation made a donation to support the Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service's “Toy Library for the Elderly” program. This program provides cognitive training toys for elderly individuals with dementia, helping them engage in brain exercises and alleviate their syndrome. To raise public awareness of dementia and caring for the seniors and their families, Emperor Foundation in partnership with Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service organized the "Joyful Winter Community Discovery Tour with Elderly" event on December 16th, ahead of the Winter Solstice festival to celebrate with the elderly participants.
Volunteers from different business units of the Group, including Emperor International, Emperor Watch & Jewelry, Emperor Capital, Emperor Cinemas and New Media Group, formed a volunteer team. They joined forces with 15 elderly participants and their family members, divided into six groups to complete a series of tasks. These tasks included delivering Christmas cards to various mailboxes, taking photos at designated locations, and purchasing ingredients for making sweet dumpling. While engaging in these tasks and exploring the Siu Sai Wan community, the volunteers and the elderly had relaxing conversations with each other. After completing the tasks, they gathered at the elderly center to try out GeronTech (age-friendly technologies) and reminisce about the moments they’ve been through during the activities while enjoying the sweet dumplings.
Some of the elderly participants in this event had mild dementia. They were able to engage in daily conversations and activities such as eating, but their short-term memory was weaker, making them more prone to forgetting recent events. Besides, they lacked confidence and might not have had the courage to go out alone. With the patient assistance and guidance from the volunteer colleagues, they accompanied the elderly participants to their respective task locations. Some sent handmade Christmas cards to themselves through designated mailboxes, some took photos by the seaside with the Tseung Kwan O Cross Bay Link as the backdrop, and others struck specific poses at the sports field. During the tasks, the volunteers and elderly had enjoyable interactions, allowing the elderly participants to be more physically active and flexible.
The event proceeded smoothly, and some of the elderly participants expressed their joy in having volunteers accompanying them. Some volunteers mentioned that they were pleasantly surprised to discover that elderly with cognitive impairments could engage in fluent conversations and were lively and interesting. This deepened their understanding of dementia and made them realize that younger generations can have harmonious interactions with the elderly.
This event was not only an early celebration of the Winter Solstice festival but also a demonstration of Emperor Group's commitment to social responsibility. The Group aims to bring more laughter and care to each elderly, also to create an inclusive and respectful society, and infuse the community with positive energy.
