The Community Chest Promotes Intergenerational Inclusion and Nurtures a New Generation of Carers

Grandma Tang, aged 70, is a retiree living with her husband. As her husband has dementia and their daughter emigrated overseas many years ago, Grandma Tang has long taken on the role of primary caregiver. She also suffers from chronic illness and requires regular hospital follow-up consultations. As her husband’s condition deteriorated and her own health problems worsened, she has been bearing immense physical and emotional strain.

Funded by The Hongkong Bank Foundation through the Community Chest and implemented by Community CareAge Foundation Limited, the “Little Nurse Community Care Programme” engages students to serve as “Little Nurses”. Through visits, companionship and interaction, the programme allows them to engage in elderly care from a young age, learn to care for older persons, and bring compassion into the community.

Through the programme, nurses and social workers worked together to provide Grandma Tang with appropriate support. When she needed to undergo surgery due to health problems, nurses made regular home visits to provide professional wound care and rehabilitation information, while social workers offered emotional support and referred her to community resources, easing the burden of caring for her husband. In addition, the Little Nurses also made regular visits to check on her health and accompanied her in making festive handicrafts, bringing her care and companionship and helping to relieve her physical and emotional stress.

With continuous support, Grandma Tang came to deeply appreciate the importance of community support and was also happy to share her own experiences and stories with the Little Nurses. This intergenerational exchange not only embodied the spirit of “one life influencing another”, but also allowed both sides to learn and grow together.

The Community Chest has always been concerned about the physical and mental wellbeing of the elderly and their community support needs. By funding the “Little Nurse Community Care Programme”, the elderly beneficiaries receive appropriate care while nurturing students to care for the elderly, promoting intergenerational inclusion and strengthening community bonds.