Elders get a fix from Food Angel

Local charity Food Angel will launch a scheme with Hong Kong Polytechnic University's nursing school to help some grassroots and solitary elders, followed by business magnate Li Ka-shing, who will fund over HK$11 million.

The two-year scheme, "Food Angel +x PolyU mobile health care partners" will launch early next year. It aims to give training to 40 volunteers who previously received aid from the charity and will now have the opportunity to deliver meals and provide medical check-ups for 100 grassroot solitary elders in Sham Shui Po.

"Such cooperation is a textbook example of 'The Power of And' that let those in need to help others," said Li.

With the help of "mHealth" mobile application, which will record vital index, it will allow nurses to give medical advice remotely, while those who are in need of medical attention will be referred to relevant doctors.

"The scheme will not just bring great effort for elderly, social health workers but also ease the huge pressure on our medical system," said assistant professor of PolyU's nursing school Dr Arkers Wong Kwan-ching.