The prevailing pandemic has not undermined HK Electric's commitment to the community as it has just launched a new initiative under the Company's CAREnJOY programme to deliver more than 1,000 giftbags to single elders in need.
Under "CAREnJOY Go-Go-Go", HK Electric is sending out a new electric vehicle over the next four months to distribute giftbags that consist of anti-virus items, daily necessities and games that are brain-teasers.
Speaking at the recent kick-off event for the new initiative, Operations Director of HK Electric, Mr. Francis Cheng, who sat behind the wheel for its debut run, was mindful of the impact the pandemic might have on single elders.
"We have always encouraged single elders to get engaged with the community but many had been deterred by the pandemic, so we hope to ease their concern by providing proper protective gear such as face masks and other anti-epidemic items," he said.
"Apart from protective items, each giftbag also contains a set of "6-Arts card game" developed by the Hong Kong Alzheimer's Diseases Association. This could provide the elderly with a tool to help exercise their body and brain while staying home," Mr. Cheng added.
The inclusion of the card game, designed for one to four players, demonstrates HK Electric's continuous support to the Dementia Friendly Community Campaign organised by the Social Welfare Department. The Company has signed up as a dementia friendly organisation since 2019.
HK Electric has suspended most community care activities since early 2020. Instead, two programmes, the "CAREnJOY Call-to-Care" and "CAREnJOY Non-stop" , were introduced to make regular phone calls to single elders and dispatch weekly information feeds via mobile phones to keep single elders socially engaged. A total of 141 elders received phone calls by HK Electric volunteers, and 47 rounds of care messages and useful tips were produced for more than 6,800 single elders every week. The latter programme has been well received and will continue in 2021.
Launched by HK Electric in 2008, "CAREnJOY for the Elderly" has been run with the support of nine elderly service NGOs to organise home visits, electrical safety talks and gatherings. The nine NGO partners are the Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association, Caritas Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Outlying Islands Women's Association Lamma Division, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited, the Hong Kong Society for the Aged, the Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association, St James Settlement, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, and the Wan Chai Methodist Centre for the Seniors.