Caring for the Dementia Community
The Hong Kong Jockey Club has long supported the promotion of positive ageing. Back in 1997, the Club discerned a growing need for holistic and professional care for the elderly impaired by dementia and established the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing (JCCPA).
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust provided a subsidy to cover the setup and operating costs for the centre’s first three years and invited the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to play a leading role in dementia research and training to help manage the centre.
Pioneering a “Services, Training and Research” Care Approach
Inaugurated in June 2000, JCCPA was the first NGO in Hong Kong offering one-stop specialised care for people who have dementia. In addition to providing holistic care services and research, we also offer professional training for caregivers and industry counterparts to advance the quality of care for such cases.
Operating on a self-funding model, JCCPA has redefined quality service for dementia patients by pioneering innovative programmes to address the specific needs of those facing cognitive challenges.
Building a Dementia-friendly Community
Our professional team rallies the Hong Kong community to develop a dementia-friendly environment where the cognitively impaired can enjoy positive ageing, supported by evidence-based quality care services and training to help alleviate the caregiver’s burden.
JCCPA uses research to advocate for the welfare of people with dementia and strives to promote the knowledge and practice of dementia care.
Philosophy of Care
JCCPA walks with the people with dementia.
We take care of those suffering from dementia with person-centred care. We find out about their lives, their character, their physical conditions and everything else that matters. We become their friends and connect with our hearts.
We believe that even if people have diminished cognition, they are still taking in everything around them. They can feel and interact with their surroundings.
We respect every single person dealing with dementia, and want to see them enjoy life with no restraints.
We think innovatively and offer proactive care services. We tailor regular training for each service user in order to enhance their capability.
We work towards helping everyone with dementia to live independently and age positively!
Buoyed by the dedication of our team, smiles of our users and trust of their families.
Our Journey
- JCCPA was inaugurated on June 24Launched daycare and short-term residential services
- Appointed by the Social Welfare Department to organize courses for personal care workersOrganized the certificate course on dementia care
- Registered as a charitable organisationLaunched JCCPA product research and development (First product: Colour Cue Cards – Daily Object Series)Invited by Singapore’s National Council of Social Services to provide overseas trainingBecomes one of the training grounds for the postgraduate training of psychiatric nurses offered by CUHK, as approved by the Nursing Council of Hong KongRewarded by the Social Welfare Department for arranging courses for professional staff
- Introduced Certificate and Advanced Certificate Courses on dementia care
- CUHK appoints Professor Timothy Kwok, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, as Director of JCCPA
- Inaugurated Memory ClinicIntroduced training courses for family physicians
- Introduced and expanded various therapeutic services and set up a research division to study the benefits of different therapies for people with dementia and their caregiversAdded home-based training and caregiver support service
- Established the caregiver support groupOpened online forums to facilitate communication with family caregiversArranged practicum training services for overseas professionals
- Added elderly home outreach occupational therapy service
- Launched Xpress Memory hotline enquiry servicePublished Brain Training Series for Chinese Elderly - Cognitive Game Book IIAnnounced research report of “Effectiveness of Daycare on Dementia”
- Celebrated JCCPA’s 10th AnniversaryCommissioned the CUHK Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies to conduct an opinion poll on “Public Attitudes toward the Chinese translation of Dementia in Hong Kong". The results confirm that the Chinese translation “痴呆症” is stigmatizing and should be renamedConducted a renaming campaign for the Chinese translation of dementia, and the name “腦退化症” is now widely used in the communityParticipated in the Walk with Professor Kao walkathon organized by CUHK to raise funds for the Charles K. Kao Scholarship Endowment Fund and an online training programme to assist family caregivers for people with cognitive loss
- Jointly organized the 1-year “Certificate Programme in Dementia Care” with CUHKInvited Professor June Andrews, an internationally known psychiatric nurse on dementia care and a professor of the University of Stirling in Scotland, to share her expertise in dementia care at a seminar "Different Experiences on Reducing the Use of Physical Restraint on Confused Patients and Demented Patients"
- Introduced the portal adcarer.com (now pdsp.hk), dedicated to supporting family caregiversProduced a short film, "The Little Flower – Understanding dementia: A Different Reality”, with licensing from the University of Stirling and funding from the SK Yee Medical FoundationInaugurated the telephone-delivered Psycho-educational Intervention Training ProgramPublished Brain Training Series for Chinese Elderly - Cognitive Game Book IIIPresented the research report on "Changes in length of stay in a hospital after physical restraint reduction in confused patients" and released results from the survey on elders' beliefs and understandings of dementiaOrganized a seminar on “ Cognitive Interventions for Older People with and without Dementia” and invited Professor Bob Woods and local experts to share their experience
- Staged “Care Your Brain” Campaign with support from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities TrustAdded Memory Club serviceLicensed to translate and publish the “10 Helpful Hints for Carers” booklet by the Dementia Services Development Centre, University of Stirling and University of LeedsPublished a research report on the “Study on the effectiveness of the Active Mind cognitive function and quality of life for local community-dwelling older adults”
- Expanded and refurbished the facility to provide a better environment for service usersLaunched the Dementia Concern Campaign to raise public awareness of dementia and organized a support group for professional staff working in the elderly settingLaunched the Online Life Story Book for family carersPublished the Brain Training Series for Chinese Elderly – Game Book for People with Mild Cognitive Impairment I
- Celebrated JCCPA’s 15th AnniversaryApproved to upgrade the Certificate Programme in Dementia Care to the Advanced Diploma Programme in Dementia CareConducted Best Practice in Dementia Care Learning Programme Facilitator Training, in conjunction with the University of StirlingIntroduced the "A Click to Know Dementia" app offering dementia knowledge, cognitive training games and care tips
- Launched Music TherapyIntroduced off-site mobile “Dementia Experience” trainingLaunched the Jockey Club “Dementia Friendly Communities” campaign and the "Jockey Club Best Practice in Dementia Care Programme"Produced a short film, “The Tail Before”, featured advance care planning. This movie garnered multiple awards from the short film festivals in US and Europe.
- Conducted the Cognitive Partnership Programme on Mental Health Promotion in Hong KongLaunched mobile app “Finding Missing Elderly with Dementia”Welcomed Professor June Andrews of the University of Stirling to speak at the seminar on "The Effectiveness and Significance of a Dementia Friendly Environment for People with Dementia"Published a research report on “Cognitive Effects of Calligraphy Therapy for Older People”
- Embarked on the Jockey Club Discharge Support and Rehabilitation Programme and launched the “The Tail Before” public screening and the “Care in Late-Stage Dementia” Sharing SessionJointly organized the "Workshop on Avoiding Tube Feeding in Patients with Dementia – Ethical and Practical Challenge" with CUHK Centre for Bioethics
- Produced the third short film, “A Pair”, to promote the residential care concept of “no physical restraint”Launched the Jockey Club Post-diagnostic Support in Dementia Care Programme and the Jockey Club Caring Communities for Dementia CampaignLaunched Caregivers Training CourseIntroduced the "Training Course on Working with Elders with Dementia and their Carers” for carers and health workers with the Social Welfare DepartmentPublished the book “Growing Old Gracefully” with Big Silver
- Celebrated JCCPA’s 20th AnniversaryLaunched daycare and short-term residential servicesAdded online version of Memory ClubHeld the Online Expo of the Jockey Club Post-diagnostic Support in Dementia Care ProgrammeJointly organized the Certificate Programme in Community-based Dementia Care for Practitioners with CUHKLaunched an electronic version of a self-diagnostic quiz named “EC-Screen” and the finding missing elderly with dementia’s mobile app “Dementia's Secret Angel”Completed six research projects about solutions and training for quality care for people with dementia
- Launched Jockey Club Discharge Support and Rehabilitation ProgrammeFour staff members of JCCPA won the Fifth Elderly Service Outstanding Employee AwardsLaunched a newly revamped websiteInvited by Leisure and Culture Services Department to conduct Dementia Friendly Museum trainingCo-operated with Kowloon-Motor Bus and University of Science and Technology to install CCD “Angel Boxes” at 5 bus terminiRecruited over 25,000 citizens become “Dementia Angels”
- Launched Jockey Club Younger Onset Dementia Support Project - first systematic pilot project in Hong Kong for People with younger onset dementiaJockey Club Caring Communities for Dementia Campaign’s crowdsourcing and Bluetooth technology (a collaboration with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and St. James Settlement) awarded the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2022: Smart People (Smart Inclusion) Gold AwardOn-going collaboration with public transfer, telecommunication, banks, property management, retails and government departments (including KMB, Standard Chartered, AS Watson, Chinachem and etc) to build dementia-friendly across HK together
- Launched the Jockey Club "Brain Health" Dementia Screening and Community Support ProjectLaunched the first dementia-specific e-Learning Platform in Hong KongInvited for poster presentation at International Psychogeriatric Association Congress 2023, Portugal on the intervention research of the Jockey Club Discharge Support and Rehabilitation Programme and the Jockey Club Post-diagnostic Support in Dementia Care ProgrammeStarted iSupport Phase 3 study in collaboration with Flinders University and scholars in China, Taiwan, and Macau, sponsored by the National Foundation for Australia-China RelationsThe Jockey Club Post-diagnostic Support in Dementia Care Programme was awarded as one of the finalists of the "Best Dementia Care Programme" at "The 11th Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards 2023"
