Hong Kong Older Adults Digital Living Study – Interim Findings Presentation

Abstract

The pandemic has led to rapid digitalisation in our daily lives and exposed substantial gaps in the access and usage of information and communication technologies between different age groups in Hong Kong, notably between the younger and the older cohorts. The Hong Kong Older Adults Digital Living Study (HK-OADLS) is a project funded by the University Grants Committee to evaluate the post-pandemic ‘grey digital divide’ using an inductive methodology and a user typology approach to inform segmentation and diversification of digital support in the community. This project is a collaborative effort between Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Tung Wah College, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong, Lingnan University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

This forum will present the interim findings from three studies under HK-OADLS and summarise the recent views of older adults, the general public and elderly care professionals on the ‘grey digital divide’ through qualitative and quantitative approaches. Based on these insights, our investigators from the Department of Social Work at Hong Kong Shue Yan University and the School of Nursing of Tung Wah College will also elaborate on the social and healthcare implications of our findings.

Panelist

Dr Bobo LAU Hi Po

Associate Professor, Department of Counselling and Psychology, Hong Kong Shue Yan University

Dr Bobo Lau Hi Po is associate professor of Department of Counselling and Psychology, and associate director of Mrs Dorothy Koo & Dr Ti Hua Koo Centre for Interdisciplinary Evidence-based Practice and Research, Hong Kong Shue Yan University. Her research interests center on gerontology, end-of-life care, holistic well-being, and social determinants of health. She graduated with a PhD in social and health psychology from University of Hong Kong with a Fulbright-RGC Hong Kong Research Scholar Award. After entering Shue Yan, she has been leading the Hong Kong Centenarian Study Phase 2 (HKCS2) and Hong Kong Older Adults Digital Living Study, both generously supported by the University Grants Committee, among other projects with local NGOs related to technological adoption in older adults, COVID mental health support, and holistic interventions for older adults and people with chronic illnesses. She published over 100 peer-reviewed journal papers and conference presentations along these domains. In terms of teaching, she teaches gerontology, health psychology, mental health, and research methods at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Dr Steve FONG Fu Fai

Department Head and Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Social Work, Hong Kong Shue Yan University

Associate Professor of Practice cum Head of the Department of Social Work, Hong Kong Shue Yan University. Dr. Fong has worked in social service organizations for more than 20 years and has more than 15 years of experience in residential service management as well as clinical supervision who has planned and launched a number of new service projects. In recent years, he has also conducted service evaluation studies for different organizations. He was commissioned by the Social Welfare Department to develop and operate the carers information website www.carers.hk , which connects services for the elderly and persons with disabilities in Hong Kong and provides comprehensive information to carers.

Prof Rick KWAN Yiu Cho

Associate Dean (Programmes) & Professor, School of Nursing, Tung Wah College

Rick Kwan is the Associate Dean (Programmes) and Professor of the School of Nursing at Tung Wah College. His research area focuses on gerontology nursing, specializing in applying e-health technology (e.g., virtual reality and wearable devices) to promote the health of older people with cognitive impairment and frailty. In education, he specializes in using information and communication technology (e.g., virtual reality) to enhance teaching and learning experiences and efficacy.

He is active in advocating for professional development in nursing and gerontology. He is the founding president of the Pi Iota At-large Chapter of Sigma Nursing, the Regional Coordinator (Asia) of Sigma Nursing, a council member of the Hong Kong Association of Gerontology, a co-opted member of the Nursing Council of Hong Kong, the Associate Editor of the European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, and a specialist of the Hong Kong Council of Accreditation of Academic & Vocational Qualifications.

He has published more than 80 articles in international SCI journals. He has led or participated in more than 40 funded research projects valued at over 60 million Hong Kong Dollars. He led the development of the Virtual Reality Motor-Cognitive Training system for older people with cognitive frailty, which has led to more than 5 awards (e.g., ICT award), one patent, and many media interviews.

His academic achievements have been recognized through several awards, including the Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing from the National Hartford Centre for Gerontological Nursing Excellence in 2018, the Emerging Research/Scholarly Award by Sigma in 2020, the Alumni Award from the School of Nursing at PolyU in 2022, the Fellow of Hong Kong Academy of Nursing in 2022, and the Research Excellence Award from Tung Wah College in 2023.