The United General Association of Macao Community Volunteers hosted an elderly home visit and caring event on Saturday afternoon, in which about 600 volunteers visited and gave gift packs to a total of 300 elderly residents living alone across the city.
Sponsored by the Bank of China, Nam Kwong (Group) Company Limited and Tai Fung Bank, the event benefitted the elderly users of the “Peng On Tung” (“Safe Telecommunication”) Tele-assistance Service programme of the General Union Neighbourhood Associations of Macau (UGAMM, or “Kai Fong” in Cantonese).
According to Kai Fong’s official website, the “Peng On Tung” Tele-assistance Service programme provides the elderly living alone with 24-hour immediate assistance and hotline services including emotional support, information enquires, referrals, and regular visits.
The outreach event started at Kai Fong’s Social Services Building in Toi San district, where an opening ceremony was held, and took participants to various neighbourhoods in the peninsula, Taipa, and ended in Seac Pai Van in Coloane.
According to information provided by the organiser’s members during the opening ceremony, the participants comprised representatives of 21 local associations and companies, as well as residents interested in volunteering, including children who were with their parents.
The organiser’s chairman, Tang Man Kei, underlined in his opening remarks the importance of community support services against the backdrop of Macau’s ageing population. He said that the one-day event aimed to enhance understanding and interaction between the younger and older generations, which “are essential for fostering social harmony and a sense of belonging to the community”. He added that in recent years there has been an increasing number of young volunteers taking the time to serve the elderly community which, in return, genuinely feel excited and always look forward to seeing them.
In his speech, Tang noted that his association planned to extend the community caring services to other cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) in the future, such as Zhuhai and Zhongshan, so that more elderly households would be able to benefit from its volunteering service.
According to a report by local broadcaster TDM, most participants commented positively on the event and said it provided an opportunity for them to not only understand the needs of Macau’s senior citizens living alone, but also to bring warmth to, and share the festive happiness in the run-up to the Chinese New Year with them.
Volunteers attend the elderly home visit and caring event’s opening ceremony hosted by representatives of the United General Association of Macao Community Volunteers and those from various invited associations and enterprises at the Social Services Building of the Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (Kai Fong) in Toi San district on Saturday. – Photo: Gabriel Tam
