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Recommendation 1.2A: Create Ambassadors is to raise awareness about gerontech as an
elderly peer “Key Opinion Leader (KOL)”. However, referencing
an Elderly, PwD & Caregiver
CABHI’s Senior Advisory Panel, we would recommend the GT
Advisory Panel Platform to further expand the functions of the Gerontech
Ambassador program to include a more structured Elderly,
One of the most heard challenges from stakeholders is the PwD & Caregiver Advisory Panel that can readily provide
difficulty that start-ups have in directly accessing end-users, feedback to start-ups. Such a panel would also have the effect
which is unsurprising as the elderly and disabled are not population of helping elderly, PwD, and caregivers become more familiar
groups that are particularly accessible. This contrasts with the with various technology products (Gap 20).
efforts of large corporations, which can hold focus groups with
end-users due to their larger scale. As such, more should be
done to provide start-ups with more direct access to end-users.
Recommendation 1.2B: Provide
In Canada, the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation gerontech training courses to
(CABHI) is a leading solution accelerator focused on driving start-ups
innovation in the ageing and brain health sector (CABHI About
16
Us, 2021). One of their key initiatives is the Senior Advisory
Another issue we have heard from stakeholders is the difficulty
Panel, which is a group of 18 elderly and caregivers who
for start-ups to understand the operational context and
provide end-user input to CABHI projects at all stages of
requirements of the elderly and rehabilitation services
development. The Senior Advisory Panel provides start-ups with
sector. Again, this is unsurprising as there are complex
feedback through focus groups, input on how to make products
regulations governing these sectors, as well as many different
user-friendly and accessible, and insight on how early-stage
and complex types of professional medical and social services
ideas could have real-world impact (CABHI Senior Advisory
that interact with one another. For example, residential elderly
Panel, 2021).
and rehabilitation care homes are regulated by specific
regulations (Cap. 459 and Cap. 613), which contain product-
The closest efforts within Hong Kong’s gerontech ecosystem
specific safety information such as the need for products to
resembling such a panel are the Gerontech Ambassadors
be fireproof. Start-ups therefore understandably struggle with
programs hosted by various organisations, including HKCSS
trying to determine who performs what function within each
and the GT Platform, the PolyU Jockey Club Smart Ageing
different type of elderly or rehabilitation service unit, as well as
Hub, and Lingnan University’s Jockey Club Gerontechnology
understanding what kind of product requirements and restrictions
and Smart Ageing Project. The main function of Gerontech
the different service units have.
16 Established in 2015, CABHI had funded around 350 projects and engaged close to 80,000 elders and caregivers as of March 2021 (CABHI Annual Report, 2021).
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