Rethinking Elderly Care in Hong Kong - What can we learn from Japan? | Matthew Shum | TEDxCUHK

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As the founder of the elderly care social enterprise, The Illuminant, Mr Shum applies lessons from sociology and Japanese elder care practises to facilitate elderly health and wellbeing. In a fast-paced city like Hong Kong, we are trisected by phenomena such as ageing population, pandemic social restrictions and health risks, as well as the pervasive, immersive adoption of digital technology. These factors make elderly care more complex and nuanced than ever, where physical and digital divides make it difficult to care for those in their twilight years. As some elderly lose hold of their mental and physical faculties, caregivers often unintentionally infantalise them, making decisions and acting on their behalf. In his speech "Rethinking Elderly Care in Hong Kong - What can we learn from Japan?", Mr Shum shares how he was inspired by Japanese Kaigo nursing practices, to work to reformulate elderly care in Hong Kong, advocating for us to respect the dignity of elders and encourage their independence. Matthew is the founder of Illuminant, a social enterprise promoting elder care and providing elder-care training. He obtained his master's degree in Japan to study sociology and elder caring. During his time in Japan, he was inspired by the local nursing care practices ('Kaigo') that treat elders as capable persons, respect their dignity, and encourage their independence. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx