Elderly Volunteers Bridge Generations Through Care and Nature
HK01 · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong community groups are showcasing older volunteers in active roles through projects backed by the Social Welfare Department’s Opportunities for the Elderly Project. At Caritas Sha Tin Elderly Centre, seniors and secondary students worked around the idea of the “four expressions of life” — love, gratitude, apology and farewell — through handicrafts, picture books and short videos on advance directives and family communication. Separately, Hong Kong Christian Service’s Lok Fai Centre for Innovation brought elderly volunteers together with children and students with special educational needs for hiking and trail clean-up activities. The programmes were featured around the annual “Opportunities for the Elderly Day”, held on the first Thursday of November.
Key Points
- Caritas Sha Tin Elderly Centre ran its “Life Is Valuable, Love Is Infinite” project around the “four expressions of life”: expressing love, thanks, apology and farewell.
- Elderly volunteer Mak Sau-mui (麥秀梅), known as Sandra, said filming a short video prompted her to apologise to her children after a verbal misunderstanding.
- Another volunteer, Fan Chan Lung-mei (樊陳弄薇), known as Clara, described a father learning during filming that his daughter avoided seafood because of allergies, not ingratitude.
- Form Three student Chow Hoi-ning (周愷甯) said the project changed her view that older people only lecture, helping her see their reminders as expressions of love.
- In the “Elder Walkers” programme, former scout leader and firefighter Ha Hon-fai (夏漢輝) planned hiking routes for children and SEN students to collect rubbish on trails.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the projects show practical ways an ageing population can remain engaged in community life rather than being seen only as service recipients. They also suggest that intergenerational and outdoor programmes can support family communication, inclusion of SEN students and neighbourhood environmental awareness at the same time.