Press Release

Gala Premiere: “My Little Story with Mom” and End-of-Life Care Public Seminar

02 Nov 2017

Movie still (1) of “My Little Story with Mom”, JCECC

Over 1,000 participants from the field of healthcare, social welfare, education and the general public participated in the Gala Premiere: “My Little Story with Mom” and End-of-Life Care Public Seminar at Grand Hall, Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre, Centennial Campus, HKU yesterday (November 1, Wednesday). It was organised by the “Jockey Club End-of-Life Community Care” (JCECC) project funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and co-organised by one of the project’s partners, the Faculty of Social Sciences, HKU.

The full version of the mini movie can now be viewed at https://www.JCECC.hk/mimv.

In the welcoming speech, Professor Sophia Chan, Secretary for Food and Health of the HKSAR encouraged the public to support and advocate end-of-life care.

Professor Chan said: “The HKSAR Government attaches great importance to holistic care of patients. Comprehensive end-of-life care allows patients to have dignity and meaningful moments at their end of life, also supports the end-of-life patients and their families to face the change of life with love, with care and with positive attitude.”

Mr. Cheung Leong, The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Executive Director, Charities and Community, said the Club has been a long-standing supporter of initiatives to address the comprehensive needs of Hong Kong’s senior citizens, and has designated Elderly Services as one of its strategic focus areas.

Mr Cheung said: “As part of the JCECC project, the elderly are encouraged to share their views with family members, get prepared together for the final journey and treasure every precious moment.”

“In this way, the elderly can rest in peace and those they leave behind can feel at ease. That’s why our Charities Trust is supporting this important project,” he added.

The Jockey Club End-of-Life Community Care Project (JCECC) - Gala Premiere: “My Little Story with Mom” and End-of-Life Care Public Seminar: (from left to right) Professor Ricky Kwok, Associate Vice-President (Teaching and Learning), HKU; Dr. Edward Leung, President, The Hong Kong Association of Gerontology; Dr. Amy Chow, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, HKU and Project Director, JCECC; Professor William Hayward, Dean of Social Sciences, HKU; Miss Susan Shaw, main actress of “My Little Story with Mom”; Miss Catherine Chau, main actress of “My Little Story with Mom”; Professor Sophia Chan, Secretary for Food and Health, HKSAR Government; Mr. Leong Cheung, Executive Director, Charities and Community, The Hong Kong Jockey Club; Miss Eda Wong, director of “My Little Story with Mom”; Professor Cecilia Chan, Chair Professor, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, HKU and Project Director, JCECC; Ms. Imelda Chan, Head of Charities (Grant Making – Elderly, Rehabilitation, Medical, Environment & Family); and Dr. Antony Leung, Medical Superintendent, Haven of Hope Sister Annie Skau Holistic Care Centre

The mini-movie’s actresses Ms. Susan Shaw and Ms. Catherine Chau, during their sharing of views and feelings of the movie, both thought that “The mini-movie is very meaningful. It also gives ourselves a chance to think more about end-of-life care and life and death education”. Ms. Eda Wong, director of the mini-movie, echoed that, “The mini-movie gives me an opportunity to re-discover the meaning of life, so as to cherish their remaining period of time”.

Dr. Amy Chow, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, HKU & Project Director, Dr. Edward Leung, President of The Hong Kong Association of Gerontology and Dr. Antony Leung, Medical Superintendent of Haven of Hope Sister Annie Skau Holistic Care Centre extended the discussion from the mini-movie to the public seminar. Dr. Chow said: “The story of the mini-movie brings communication with end-of-life patients to the public and social and healthcare professional’s attention. Through interactive discussion in the seminar, the public can understand more about the choices of end-of-life care in the community and how to achieve a peaceful and precious moment at the last journey of life.”

At the end of the event, the JCECC Project distributed the game card “心有寧Say” to the participants. The card acts as a tool to improve communication between patients, family and friends, let the public to re-examine their life priority and also encourage their discussion on end-of-life care.

To get a set of the game card, stay tuned at https://www.JCECC.hk/.

For media enquiries, please contact
Mr. Tommy Fan, Faculty of Social Sciences, HKU (Tel: 39171204 / 97010777; email: yhfan@hku.hk)

About the Jockey Club End-of-Life Community Care Project
Hong Kong is facing a rapidly ageing population, and the number of elderly people suffering from terminal illnesses has also escalated correspondingly. In view of the growing demand for end-of-life care services in the community, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust approved funding of HK$131 million to launch the Jockey Club End-of-Life Community Care Project” (JCECC) in 2015. The project is a three-year initiative aimed at improving the quality of end-of-life care and enhancing the capacity of service providers, as well as raising public awareness.

JCECC is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional and cross-sectoral collaboration to help enhance end-of-life care in Hong Kong with special emphasis on the interface between social and medical systems. Five service models are being developed and piloted in the community to provide holistic support to elderly people suffered from terminal illness. The goal is to enable the city’s older people to have informed choices of care and enjoy an improved quality of life. Please visit https://www.JCECC.hk/.