JC JoyAge:
Holistic Support Project for Elderly Mental Wellness

About 10% of the elderly population in Hong Kong have depressive symptoms. Factors such as stress, health problems and a lack of social engagement usually contribute to the vulnerability of older people and cause higher risks of elderly depression or other major illness. In response to this concern, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust initiated the “JC JoyAge: Jockey Club Holistic Support Project for Elderly Mental Wellness” (JC JoyAge).

Through cross-sectoral collaboration, JC JoyAge provides a community-based supporting network for our senior citizens to enhance their resiliency in facing the challenges of ageing. The service model bridges the District Elderly Community Centre (“DECC”) and Integrated Community Centre for Mental Wellness (“ICCMW”) to establish a collaborative and integrated service model, which renders standardised prevention and timely intervention services for the older adults at-risk of or with depressive symptoms, according to their risk level and severity of symptoms, etc.

Impact:
JC JoyAge Pilot Phase
(2016-2019)​
1
Peer Supporters
28 social service professionals and 242 “Peer Supporters” were trained in JC JoyAge.
1 K
outreach

101,000 outreach and engagement sessions provided to 4,333 older adults at risk or with depressive symptoms.

over 1 %

Over 90% of project participants had improvements in depression, their PHQ-9 total scores reduced over 50% at discharge over baseline, and GAD-7 and UCLA-3 total scores dropped nearly 50% at discharge over baseline.

1
times

The project is 5.74 times more effective in preventing and 3.55 times more effective in treatment as compared to traditional services.

HK$ 1

For every HK$ 1 invested in the project, HK$ 2.14 was saved for healthcare system and HK$ 3.10 was created for social value.

COVID-19 and Mental Wellness of older people

To understand the safety behaviours of local older adults amid the COVID-19 pandemic, HKU research team and partner NGOs surveyed 8,382 older adults aged 60 or above, between February 2020 and August 2020 over telephone interview.

Over 90% older adults have epidemic prevention awareness and take action.

Over 80% older adults received support and around 10% provided support to others under the pandemic.

One in ten older adults reported depressive or anxiety symptoms, half of them reported with both. The mental health of older adults remained stable in the pandemic as compared to that without the pandemic.

Among the older adults, young-olds (aged 60 to 79), female and dementia carers were more susceptible to higher rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Latest Publication:

“Participation is Fun and Empowering”: A Participatory Approach to Co-design a Cultural Art Program for Older Chinese at Risk of Depression in Hong Kong

Liu, T., Chan, R., Yeung, C., Lee, L. C. B., Chan, T., Welton, K., … & Wong, G. H. Y. (2023). “Participation is Fun and Empowering”: A Participatory Approach to Co-design a Cultural Art Program for Older Chinese at Risk of Depression in Hong Kong. Innovation in Aging, igad041.

Liu et al., 2023

Dimensionality and risk factors of the personal stigma of depression in adults aged 50 years and older at risk of depression

Leung, D.K.Y, Wong, F.H.C., Yau, J.H., Zhang, A.Y., Au, W.S.H., Liu, T., Wong, G.H.Y. & Lum, T.Y.S. (2023). Dimensionality and risk factors of the personal stigma of depression in adults aged 50 years and older at risk of depression, Aging & Mental Health, DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2023.2179973

‘It was the deepest level of companionship’: peer-to-peer experience of supporting community-dwelling older people with depression - a qualitative study

Tang, J. P., Liu, T., Lu, S., Sing, C. Y., Sze, L. C., Lum, T., & Tse, S. (2022). ‘It was the deepest level of companionship’: peer-to-peer experience of supporting community-dwelling older people with depression-a qualitative study. BMC geriatrics, 22(1), 1-12.

Tang et al., 2022

Depressive Symptoms and Coping Strategies in Community-Dwelling Older People Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study

Cheung, J. C.-S., Liu, T., Lu, S., Chui, C. H.-K., Leung, D. K. Y., Au, W. S. H., Kwok, W.-W., Lum, T., & Wong, G.. (2022). Depressive Symptoms and Coping Strategies in Community-Dwelling Older People Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 1–17.

Collaborative community mental health and aged care services with peer support to prevent late-life depression: study protocol for a non-randomised controlled trial

Liu, T., Leung, D., Lu, S., Kwok, W. W., Sze, L., Tse, S., Ng, S. M., Wong, P., Lou, V., Tang, J., Wong, D., Chan, W. C., Kwok, R., Lum, T., & Wong, G. (2022). Collaborative community mental health and aged care services with peer support to prevent late-life depression: study protocol for a non-randomised controlled trial. Trials, 23(1), 280.

Liu et al., 2022

The Moderating Role of Community Capacity for Age-friendly Communication in Mitigating Anxiety of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Infodemic: Cross-sectional Survey

Wong, F. H. C., Leung, D. K. Y., Wong, E. L. Y., Liu, T., Lu, S., Chan, O. F., … & Lum, T. Y. S. (2022). The Moderating Role of Community Capacity for Age-friendly Communication in Mitigating Anxiety of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Infodemic: Cross-sectional Survey. JMIR Infodemiology, 2(1), e33029.

Wong et al, 2022

Associations between depressive symptom clusters and care utilization and costs among community-dwelling older adults

Lu, S., Zhang, Y., Liu, T., Leung, D. K., Kwok, W. W., Luo, H., … & Lum, T. Y. (2021). Associations between depressive symptom clusters and care utilization and costs among community‐dwelling older adults. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Lu et al., 2021

Consuming Information Related to COVID-19 on Social Media Among Older Adults and Its Association With Anxiety, Social Trust in Information, and COVID-Safe Behaviors: Cross-sectional Telephone Survey

Wong, F. H. C., Liu, T., Leung, D. K. Y., Zhang, A. Y., Au, W. S. H., Kwok, W. W., Shum, A. K. Y., Wong, G. H. Y. & Lum, T. Y. S. (2021). Consuming Information Related to COVID-19 on Social Media Among Older Adults and Its Association With Anxiety, Social Trust in Information, and COVID-Safe Behaviors: Cross-sectional Telephone Survey. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(2), e26570.
Wong et al., 2021

Health and social care service utilization and associated expenditure among community-dwelling older adults with depressive symptoms.

Lu, S., Liu, T., Wong, G. H. Y., Leung, D. K. Y., Sze, L., Kwok, W. W., Knapp, M., Lou, V. W. Q., Tse, S., Ng, S., Wong, P., Tang, J. Y. M., & Lum, T. Y. S. (2020). Health and social care service utilization and associated expenditure among community-dwelling older adults with depressive symptoms. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Science.
Lu et al., 2021

Adapting the UCLA 3-item loneliness scale for community-based depressive symptoms screening interview among older Chinese: a cross-sectional study

Liu, T., Lu, S., Leung, D. K. Y., Sze, L. C. Y., Kwok, W. W., Tang, J. Y. M., Luo, H., Lum, T. Y. S. & Wong, G. H. Y. (2020). Adapting the UCLA 3-item loneliness scale for community-based depressive symptoms screening interview among older Chinese: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 10(12), e041921.
Liu et al., 2020