Online Activities to Alleviate Loneliness among Elderly People during the Pandemic
The elderly are highly susceptible to infection during the pandemic, and their emotions and mental well-being can be greatly affected by the social distancing measures and significant changes to their social lives. To this end, the Elder Academy at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) is organising a series of online talks and interest classes from April to June, in collaboration with The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong “Train-the-trainer” Alumni Association, The Jade Club and Innoage Hub. The aim is to offer complementary learning opportunities for the elderly who have been stuck at home for a long time to safeguard themselves from the pandemic.
The volunteer tutors who are giving online classes hold a “Train-the-trainer” Professional Certificate in Lifelong and Elderly Education awarded by the Elder Academy at EdUHK and The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong. While some of them are retired professionals, many are experienced tutors currently teaching at different elder academies and community centres. The online talks will cover a wide array of topics, including long-distance running, travel, acupoint massage and household cleaning. Elderly people can also join online interest classes such as dancing, yoga, learning Putonghua, painting, cooking and flower arranging, with each of which lasting for an hour to fit their needs and interests. Meanwhile, the Jade Club and Innoage Hub will be responsible for manning the online learning platform, as well as organising and scheduling the activities.
Professor Maureen Tam Siu-ling, Adjunct Professor of the Department of International Education and Director of the Elder Academy, said, "Classes and activities at community centres for the elderly have all been suspended during the pandemic, which has greatly affected their social life and learning. The online activities we offer will not only benefit the participants but also those who volunteer as instructors, who can share their knowledge, skills and interests with others."
Professor Tam added that the activities represent the concerted effort of the University and the social services sector. She hoped that different sectors of the community could join hands and make contributions to society to help cope with the pandemic. More details are available here:
https://www.thejadeclub.com.hk/activities/voluntaryteachingforelders/
- Ends -
