2025-06

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing proudly held the International Conference of Dementia Innovation Readiness, bringing together local and international experts to explore innovations and developments in dementia care.

On the eve of the conference, Dr. Kenny Chui, Deputy General Manager, of our organization, led a delegation of guests from Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore and other regions on a visit to the Nordic-style “Forward Living” elderly home in Tuen Mun and JCCPA. The tour provided first-hand experience of Hong Kong’s elderly care services, showcasing local residential care models while facilitating valuable exchanges of insights and best practices among participants.

Four afternoon workshops addressed key dementia challenges, featuring expert presentations and case-based discussions with international specialists.

• Person-Centred Care (Prof. Dawn BROOKER)
• Managing Responsive Behaviours (Prof. Anne Margriet POT)
• Support for Care partners(Prof. Huali WANG)
• Dementia-Friendly Environmental Design (Prof. Lesley PALMER)

Moreover, we were honored to have Mr. William Yeates from Australia conduct a special workshop focusing on younger onset dementia individuals and their care partners. He shared his innovative ‘Tree of Awakening Your Positivity’ holistic approach, which explores how to live positively with dementia through four key dimensions: physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual well-being.

On the conference day, we were honored to have Professor Prof. Nick Rawlins, Vice-Chancellor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Dr. Tony Ko, Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority; Professor Chien Wai Tong, Director of the Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK; Ms Kitty Liu, Deputy Executive Manager, Charities, The Hong Kong Jockey Club; and Professor Timothy Kwok, Director of our organization, officiate at the simple yet grand opening ceremony. The event also celebrated the 25^th anniversary of the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing.

Day 1 agenda highlights:

• William YEATES to sharing the life journey of living with dementia
• Dawn BROOKER to exploring person-centered care models
• Anne Margriet POT to presenting global trends in dementia care
• Gloria WONG to sharing Hong Kong’s dementia care policy strategies: TIP-CARD experience
• Amy Kit-Yu FU to explaining early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and blood biomarker research for amyloid pathology
• Jason FOO to introducing personalized care services for different dementia stages and strengthening support for both persons with dementia and their caregivers
• Ping-Keung YIP to presenting community support practices and challenges
• Florence Iat Kio VAN to sharing public and professional strategies for building dementia-friendly communities in Macau

On the final day of the conference, speakers from diverse regions continued to explore multifaceted themes spanning policy, architecture, legal considerations, and technology.

Key sessions included:

• Lesley PALMER on dementia-inclusive architectural design
• Huali WANG to discussing emerging dementia policy developments in Chinese society
• Andrew SOMMERLAD presenting strategies to mitigate dementia risk factors
• Debbie CHEN sharing community support initiatives by Taiwan’s Dementia Association
• Helen Yue-Lai CHAN on integrated healthcare, nursing, and financial planning for dementia care
• Charles C.Y. CHIU addressing legal considerations and advance planning
• Grace CHAN demonstrating technological innovations in dementia support

The conference concluded with Prof. Timothy Kwok, Director of our organization, presenting the Jockey Club “Brain Health” Dementia Screening and Community Support Project as a pioneering model for future care. Outstanding presentation and poster awards were presented, marking a perfect close to this three-day milestone event.