The Ageing in Place Home Safety Assessment is available on Habitat Hong Kong’s website (habitat.org.hk) and is designed for users to understand how living spaces can be enhanced to better meet older adults’ needs. The tool provides an evaluation of their home to identify areas and actions to take to improve safety, accessibility, and comfort. Once users complete the survey, they have access to personalised recommendations for home modifications and additional resources.
Ms. Jo Hayes, Chief Executive Officer of Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong said: “We all have different and changing needs as we get older. At Habitat Hong Kong, we believe that no matter what stage of life we are in, we all deserve to be safe, secure, and comfortable in our homes. We know that Hong Kong is facing a future with a rapidly ageing population, and we want more people to know that are simple changes that they can make in their homes today, that can make their homes better adapted for their needs tomorrow.”
Since Habitat launched the pilot phase of Ageing in Place programme in June 2022, it has already delivered services to make homes safer for more than 250 older adults. With the creation of the interactive Ageing in Place Home Safety Assessment online tool, Habitat aims to open a Hong Kong-wide dialogue about ageing safer in your home, give more community members access to information about home enhancements, provide resources for installing home upgrades, and give direct support for older people who qualify for the Habitat Hong Kong services.
Services that Habitat Hong Kong delivers to their home partners to improve the living spaces of older adults include the installation of a bedside light switch, bedrails, D-shaped handles on cupboards, assistive technology, and more. For the wider Hong Kong community, the Ageing in Place Home Safety Assessment tool provides respondents with access to tips on what simple changes they can make in their bedrooms, kitchens, living areas, and bathrooms to make their homes safer and better adapted to their evolving needs.
Alongside the launch of the Ageing in Place Home Safety Assessment online tool, Habitat Hong Kong has also launched its Let’s talk! outreach campaign to raise awareness of the Ageing in Place programme and its benefits. Through discussion guides, the campaign aims to encourage conversations with older adults in Hong Kong about how they can benefit from home enhancements. The guides – tailored for older adults, their children, carers, and potential programme partners – provide key discussion points and resources to encourage more open dialogue about ageing.
Habitat Hong Kong works with a network of community-based organisations, home repair experts, academic researchers, and local NGOs to provide appropriate home modifications to grassroots households, enabling older adults to live in age-friendly homes. The work Habitat Hong Kong delivers in the community is not possible without the generous support of their programme donors. The new Ageing in Place Home Safety Assessment online tool and the Let’s talk! Outreach campaign are key components of Phase 2 of the Ageing in Place programme that began in January 2024 with support from co-funders; ZeShan Foundation, Kerry Group, and the Yau Family Charitable Foundation. The current phase of the programme aims to deliver home modifications to a total of 350 households.
Ms. Irene So, Executive Director ZeShan Foundation said: “Leveraging our experience working with the Hong Kong community and local non-government organisations (NGOs) such as Habitat Hong Kong, we hope to drive long-lasting change. Through this phase of the Ageing in Place programme, we hope that the Ageing in Place online assessment tool and the Let’s talk! campaign will help us to collectively move towards more inclusive senior housing solutions that cater to our ageing community needs.”
Find more information on Ageing in Place on our website: Ageing in Place – Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong
Access the Ageing in Place Home Safety Assessment: Home Safety Assessment | Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong
Start a conversation today by downloading our Let’s talk! discussion guides: Discussion Guides | Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong
About Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong
Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit organisation dedicated to ensuring everyone has a decent place to live. Since 2004, Habitat Hong Kong has served vulnerable communities by improving housing conditions and building resilience. By 2050, Hong Kong will have the oldest population in the world. Our Ageing in Place programme enables vulnerable older adults to live in age-friendly homes through installations of handrails, bed rails, anti-slip floor treatments, flooring repairs, lighting improvements, flashing doorbells and other relevant modifications.
For any media queries, please contact:
Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong
Ms. Carol Leung (R.S.W.)
Manager, Ageing in Place Programmes
Email: carol.leung@habitat.org.hk
Tel: 9412 9828
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