Press Release
16 January, 2017
For Immediate Release
Golden Age Expo and Summit
Celebrating Smart Aging
21-22 January, 2017 Hall 1C HKCEC
Organized by Golden Age Foundation, “Golden Age Expo and Summit” is scheduled to be held on 21st and 22nd January (Saturday &Sunday) at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. This is the only large-scale Expo and Summit specially catered for the Golden Age population (i.e. people aged 45 and above, retirees and the elderly). The Acting Chief Secretary for Administration - The Hon Matthew Cheung, the Former Chairmen of Elderly Commission - Dr. Edward Leong and Mr. TAM Yiu-chung, the Former President of Legislative Council - Mr. Jasper Tsang, the Former Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs - Ms Shelley Lee, the Founder and CEO of Dialogue Social Enterprise GmbH - Dr. Andreas Heinecke, the Chief Officer (Elderly Service) of The Hong Kong Council of Social Service - Ms Grace Chan, the Founder & Chair of Golden Age Foundation - Mrs. Rebecca Choy Yung, will be the opening ceremony officiating guests. Many retired and present government officials, leaders from businesses, NGOs, social enterprises will be present and support the event.
The Expo will assemble thousands of products and services from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Europe and Hong Kong, such as smart home design, new technology products, health care products and services, nursing services, tourism, culture and entertainment, employment planning services, life education etc. Moreover, the Summit will gather over 50 renowned international and local speakers to discuss and explore innovative ways of building Hong Kong into a ‘Smart Aging City’. There will also be health screening, performances, fitness and product demonstrations, interactive sessions, photography area will also be held throughout the two-day event.
Golden Age Phenomenon
In recent years, studies have shown that the average life expectancy has risen to 80 years. The world is moving quickly towards a new era of "Golden Age", the proportion of middle age and older adults is increasing. The Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department predicts that the proportion of people aged 65 or above in Hong Kong will reach 30% in 2041, the highest on the global list. Our challenge is to enhance the quality of life under the “Golden Age” era by making good use of the latest technology, medical and product innovations.
Mrs. Rebecca Choy Yung, the Founder & Chair of Golden Age Foundation, states that longevity is a phenomenon that has never occurred in human history before. It presents both challenges and opportunities. Since there are no precedents to follow, we have to tackle the situation with positive actions, and lead the society towards a new stage in which the proportion of middle-aged and elderly populations is dominant. Our vision is to build a "Smart Aging City" with new mindset, new socio-economic and technological environments that enable the elderly to lead a healthy, active and purposeful life. In fact, not only people are aging, the social concepts, systems, facilities, etc. are also aging. Many of them are out of date. Therefore, cross-sector communications, collaborations, and innovative business models have become increasingly important.
The Only Event in HK catered for Golden Agers
The Expo will assemble thousands of innovative products and services from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Europe, China and Hong Kong specially catered for the Golden Age population. They will bring a brand new experience to visitors. A few product highlights here:
Automatic Bath Device “Sit & Shower” from Human Washer Limited
Mr. Samuel Hui and Prof. Neville Ka Shek Lee, Co-founder of Human Washer Ltd said that their product is an automatic bathing device that increases bathing safety, improves caretaker productivity, and returns bathing independence & dignity to the users. Sit & Shower fits on top of a toilet converting it into a safer, dual-purpose toilet and shower. Bathe easily and independently with automatic soaping, temperature control, surround water jets, bidet and warm air drying.
Visiona Intelligent DR ScreeningPlatform from VisionaMedTech International Limited
Diabetes is one of the biggest health challenges globally. It not only impairs health but also brings substantial burdens to medical budget. According to Department of Health, HKSAR, there are more than 700,000 people (equivalent to 10% of the City's population) with diabetes in Hong Kong. Approximately 40% of diabetic patients suffer from DR (diabetic retinopathy, a common complication of diabetes). Each year, about 200 people lost their sight permanently as a result of failing to discover and treat DR in time. To prevent DR-related blindness, WHO recommends people with diabetes should receive DR screening at least once a year. However, there are less than 300 qualified ophthalmologists practicing in Hong Kong. The shortage of medical specialists makes it difficult, if not impossible, to implement a systematic, regular and city-wide DR screening program for each and every of the 700,000 diabetes patients.
To tackle this problem, VisionaMedTech has developed Hong Kong's first cloud-based intelligent DR screening platform ("The Visiona Platform") by leveraging on its state-of-the-art AI technology. According to Mr. Reny Ng, CEO of Visiona MedTech, retinal images uploaded by users to the Visiona Platform will be automatically processed and analysed by the software embedded. In approximately 40 seconds, an analytic report will be automatically generated by the Visiona Platform. The whole process can be completed fully automatically. Patients with suspicious DR syndromes found in their retinal images will be recommended to consult an ophthalmologist for diagnosis and treatment. With this internet-delivered services, the Visiona Platform enables the implementation of large-scale DR screening in communities around the City. Research on similar regular screening programs implemented in other countries shows promising results such as substantial reduction in blindness among diabetes patients as well as reduction of related medical expenses.
Visitors are free to receive the above and other health tests and try out various health care and nursing equipment at the Expo.
Thought- Provoking Summit
The Golden Age Summit will gather over 50 renowned international and local speakers such as Dr. Andreas Heinecke, Founder and CEO of Dialogue Social Enterprise GmbH from Germany. Mrs. Karen Kulp, CEO of Home Care Associates from the USA, Ms. Yorelle KALIKA, CEO of Active Global Specialised Caregivers from Singapore, and many other well-known local speakers will discuss and explore innovative ways of building Hong Kong into a ‘Smart Aging City’. Moreover, a multi-farious range of activities, including health screening, performances, fitness and product demonstrations, interactive sessions, photography area will also be held throughout the two-day event.
Young people participate in the development of “Smart Aging City”
One of the young designers, Mr. Ray Tang, co-founder of Longevity Design House, announces that Longevity Charity Foundation will be set up to improve the living conditions of senior singletons and tackle the retirement issue of grassroots citizens in Hong Kong. The pioneer project, “Home for the Senior Singletons Public Housing”, aims to explore the feasibility of transforming a standard one-person public housing unit into an elderly-friendly home. The research aims to bring new ideas to future elder-friendly cities with a simple and innovative design.
"In the Mood for Blossoms Cheongsam"
Golden Age Foundation supports the revive of cultural heritage. Cheongsam for example, represents a tradition of fine craftsmanship. In an effort to revive Cheongsam, the Foundation has invited a young designer, Grace Choi of Yi Ming Fashion, to combine modern elements into this traditional costume. Members of the Hong Kong Women Professionals & Entrepreneurs Association, who are successful women leaders, will stage a fabulous modern Cheongsam show “In the Mood for Blossoms Cheongsam" during the Opening Ceremony on Jan 21.
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For more information, please visit http://goldenage.foundation/ or contact:
Ms. Milla Wong
Tel: (852) 2561-5566 Fax: (852) 2811-9156
E-mail：Publicaffairs@goldenage.foundation