In the “Cooperation Agreement Signing Ceremony” held on 8 April 2014 at its lecture theatre, Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau (KWNC) signed a cooperation and clinical study agreement with Caritas Macau and General Union of Neigbourhood Associations of Macau (UGAAM) respectively. The agreement signing aims at promoting mutual endeavours in fostering and deepening the implementation of the “Benevolence Lights up my Later Life” Programme, developing more clinical study venues for nursing students and facilitating the establishment of a cross-professional and cross-disciplinary community of practice.

The agreements were signed by Vice-Chairman of Board of Directors of Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association and Vice-Chairman of Board of Directors of KWNC Mr. Ung Hon Chao, Secretary General of Caritas Macau Mr. Pun Chi Meng, and Vice-Chairman of Board of Directors of UGAMM Ms. Lau Wing Sze, under the witness of Director of Meng Fai Nursing Home of Caritas Macau Ms. Lam Iok Chu, Coordination Head of UGAMM Social Services Office Ms. Lam Man Chi, and President of KWNC Professor Van Iat Kio.

Under the “Benevolence Lights up my Later Life” Programme, KWNC has been cooperating with UGAMM and Macao Federation of Trade Unions in holding a number of public lectures and workshops concerning the prevention and care of old-age dementia. The institutions have also jointly organized their teaching staff, frontline staff and other representatives to pay learning visits to universities and elderly service institutions of various places including London, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. After years of hard work, the Programme has launched several local research projects and has set up a memory clinic and dementia service help line. It has also successfully inspired the Macao SAR Government to position dementia prevention and control as one of its prioritized policies over the past four consecutive years. In addition, the Programme has been exerting tireless efforts in preparing Macao for the upcoming challenges of its escalating ageing population by developing an awareness and shaping a positive attitude of the general public towards dementia, building up regional and international academic cooperation networks, offering trainings and education to professionals of the field, and promoting the elderly services of the local society.

In her speech, Vice-President Xing Zhihong pointed out that KWNC have conducted researches, offered dementia-related education and services in a number of elderly nursing homes in the last three years. This initiation of services has allowed KWNC to accumulate experience and build a concrete foundation for its following tasks. Through this cooperation with Caritas Macau, it is hoped that the prevention and care of old-age dementia could be extended to a greater number of elderly service institutions, elders and family members. In an effort to design services with local features and ameliorate the services of day care centres, KWNC is currently cooperating with UGAMM’s I Chon Centre, Lok Yeong Day Care Centre and Caritas Macau’s Longevity Special Day Care Centre in giving nursing interventions and collecting data for a series of research projects on dementia services. Vice-President Xing extended her gratitude for the support rendered to KWNC by all community institutions. This cooperation between academic institution and social service institutions not only benefits Macao’s elderly nursing services, elders and family members, but also provides clinical study venues for students to practise their community nursing skills, which genuinely demonstrates the close connection between teaching, researches and social services.

In addition to the above initiatives, KWNC is planning to offer some new community services by making good use of the expertise of its teaching staff. Different speciality centres including elderly emotion management centre, self management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease centre, micro-MRI health maintenance consultative centre are planned to be established in this September.