Redefining Care – The Launch of “Guardians of the Silver Age” Eldercare Training Program

The increasing demand for manpower has been a major challenge for the eldercare industry. Many people hesitate to become careworkers due to the conventional stereotypes about the job, but we believe that eldercare could be different with new care concepts and the introduction of gerontechnology. Generation Hong Kong has partnered with The D. H. Chen Foundation and co-initiated the “Guardians of the Silver Age” (GSA) Eldercare Training Program to discover and nurture potential new talents through interactive training and introduction of new concepts in compassionate-based caretaking. The job routine of a care worker is no longer considered as dull and mundane only, instead, our “Guardians” will accompany the older adults for an empowering and enabling life.

To change public perception via introduction of the Innovative Eldercare Model

The Program comes with a mission of “Redefining Care”, aiming to change the public perceptions of the eldercare industry. A comprehensive training and employment system is established to coach learners with professional technical skills and innovative concepts including Gerontechnology and Re-enablement Care Model, equipping our learners with a solid foundation of knowledge to provide alternative empathetic care for the silver generation.

Enabling a meaningful and sustainable career in joint efforts with like-minded employer partners

The Program has paid great efforts in offering long-term and life-changing career opportunities with support from our employer partners. Our integrated curriculum is also designed in consultation with employers to ensure the quality of the programs matches the current needs of the industry. We strive to actively explore a wide range of new job positions within the industry, to partner with employers that are willing to support and grow talents thus to encourage the younger generation to join the eldercare industry and develop long-term careers. After the pilot in the past year, the program not only trained a number of talents, but also changed the learners’ traditional concept of the eldercare industry. Nearly 90% of the graduates of our first two cohorts have successfully been recruited by local eldercare service units. Such achievement is encouraging!

Injecting vitality into the eldercare industry with brand new image

In the future, we will carry on the eldercare mission with the support of the D. H. Chen Foundation to work with like-minded partners in enhancing the wellbeing of our silver generations. We look forward to mobilizing talents who share the same vision to join us in redefining care. A brand new logo with vibrant orange and peaceful green is now adopted for this exciting journey. The colours symbolise the positivity and vitality of our graduates, whereas the simplistic outline of the shield, the senior and the companion in the logo emphasizes our mission to “care” for the silver generation. We also commit to achieve further with our brand new image by injecting innovative ideas and concepts into the industry, and actively exploring possibilities for the new talents in care-taking thus to promote an empowering living style for the older adults as well as support the industry’s long-term development.

To join the “Guardian of the Silver Age” Eldercare Training Program, please email generationhk@generation.org.