47 46 HKU ANNUAL REPORT 2023 ACHIEVING IMPACT OUTREACH FOR THE ELDERLY PROMOTING AIDS PREVENTION THROUGH ENRICHMENT MODULE OVERCOMING COMMUNICATION BARRIERS INCLUSIVE EMPLOYMENT FOCUS More than 90% of older people have dental caries and around half of them remain untreated, often put off by a lack of dental knowledge or the cost of dental care. While the Hong Kong Government offers several dental care services, these are only available to limited groups and most older adults have difficulty choosing and accessing an appropriate service. To address this problem, the Faculty of Dentistry has been working with an NGO to establish a community-based outreach programme in community centres for the elderly. Volunteer dental professionals do check-ups, basic procedures and dental care promotion, while the NGO follows up with advice on available services, either at government clinics or their affiliated charitable dental clinics. The programme has helped more than 700 elderly in the past three years. The Faculty coordinates the programme and provides an outreach service to train dental professionals and staff in elderly community centres. “This model is sustainable and it reaches more people who might not otherwise get dental care. We hope it can be adopted by the government and become a community-wide service in future,” said Dr Ollie Yu Yiru, Clinical Assistant Professor, who is leading the project. Year 4 Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) students are spending two days a week during their second semester working with an NGO or academic institution of their choice. This Enrichment Module, launched in 2022–23, gives students deeper experience in real settings so they can apply and expand their knowledge. Donald Lee, a 2023 BPharm graduate, worked with AIDS Concern, where he used his knowledge to contribute information posters, give a talk to ethnic minorities on the proper use of antibiotics, design leaflets for doctors on medical treatments and approaches to sexual and gender minorities during consultations, and join a podcast about HIV prevention in the community. The experience helped him understand common problems faced by sexual and ethnic minorities and build up his presentation and communication skills. “I also gained a better understanding of the operation of an NGO. My contribution to AIDS Concern was valued by them, which boosted my confidence. I have not confirmed my future career path, but I am considering being a pharmacist in an NGO.” Speech-Language Pathology students are participating in a project to understand the difficulties experienced by people with aphasia during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how to help them in future. Aphasia affects the ability to understand, speak, read and write, and is often an outcome after a stroke. The threeyear project, led by Dr Anthony Kong Pak Hin, was launched in 2022–23 for primarily Year 4 students, who this year interviewed people with aphasia and documented and investigated the challenges they face (students in subsequent years will develop plans and strategies to help people with aphasia engage in social activities both online and in person). Student Bonita Sham Po Yan heard first-hand of the lengths that speech therapists went to to serve their clients during the pandemic and learned from the experience. “I had the opportunity to establish a rapport with stakeholders and learned to express ideas clearly, ask relevant questions and actively contribute to discussions. Overall, it was an invaluable learning experience.” More than 500,000 Hong Kong people have disabilities and their job prospects are discouraging. Their unemployment rate is double that of the general population and fewer than half of people with disabilities who have post-secondary qualifications are employed. A three-year Jockey Club-funded project, launched in 2020, is trying to improve the situation by raising awareness and designing collective action. The Centre for Civil Society and Governance is the convening organisation and is working with four partner NGOs. Early on, the Centre conducted a diagnostic study of the current situation and policy responses, followed by nine public seminars attended by more than 480 stakeholders to identify key areas of improvement. It has also created an online platform of information for people with disabilities, employers, social sector practitioners and other interested parties, as well as a mobile application linking to community resources. The next phase, launching in 2024, will reach out to business organisations and promote the benefits of inclusive employment, given that multiple overseas studies show it can improve staff retention, profitability and total shareholder return. The Faculty of Dentistry has partnered with an NGO to establish a community-based outreach programme in community centres for the elderly. As a resource-matching platform connecting different sectors, the ‘InMatch’ mobile app fosters a conducive environment in which communities of interest can engender a socially inclusive and cohesive society, while also facilitating more efficient and effective allocation of community resources. Donald (second from right) giving a talk regarding the appropriate use of antibiotics to ethnic minorities in April 2023. The team conducting an interview with a stroke patient and his caregiver in the Hong Kong Stroke Association.
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