Hong Kong [08-03-2018] – LONGEVITY DESIGN HOUSE announces a sponsorship from the Li Ka Shing Foundation today to support the project “Longevity Care Home Modification Project” (referred to as “Home Modification Project”). The project aims to improve the living qualities and safety standards of elderly homes in five districts in the coming year, through home modification projects, customised designs, and installations of rehabilitation equipments for the needy seniors.
The generous donation of HK$3M will be used to support the underserved elderly households at the five local districts including Sham Shui Po, Kwai Tsing, Kwun Tong, Tuen Mun and the Central and Western District. Beneficiaries include 200 solitary elders or old couples living in private old buildings (e.g. tenement buildings, or buildings aged 40-year-plus) from each of the above-mentioned districts. Home safety assessment, together with on-site advice from occupational therapists will make up a customised total home modification solution for the beneficiaries. The Home modification items may include:
- To supply and install handrails
- To supply and install single sockets
- To supply and install LED lights or fluorescent tubes
- To install raised toilet seats
- To install customised rehabilitation equipment
This project also helps Longevity Design House to further develop their apprenticeship program. To fulfil the service demand, Longevity Design House worked with the Vocational Training Council to train 50 young technical workers with ageing knowledge to serve the beneficiaries in the first year.
“This project is specially designed for senior citizens from grassroots or underserved groups without financial aid. They may own a small and old apartment that is worn out or far below quality and safety standards as a result of poverty,” according to Mr. Lawrence Lui, the Co-Founder of LONGEVITY DESIGN HOUSE. He adds that the funding from Li Ka Shing Foundation provides the social enterprise with a shortcut to upgrade the below-average home risk management of the needy but neglected silver hair community.
Hong Kong is going to be a rapidly ageing community in the very near future. The ideal vision of “Ageing in Place” will require more resources and support, while the local place is too small for ageing and the living cost is too high for the aged, says Lui.
Mr. Alan Cheung, Chairman of LONGEVITY DESIGN HOUSE, says, “The generous donation from Li Ka Shing Foundation is an incredible gift for the 1,000 elderly households in grassroots communities. Now all of them can enjoy a renovated quality living environment with less household risk, and which is customised and totally free. It also gives a big boost to the sustainable development of the social enterprise sector in Hong Kong and helps social enterprises to amplify their social impact.”
