Impact of Community Carer Capacity-Building Program: Enhancing Volunteers in Elderly Fall prevention
Tracks
Carers (Older Persons)
Falls prevention and safety (Older Persons)
Home modifications (Older Persons)
Home safety (Older Persons)
Home-based aged care and community care (Older Persons)
| Wednesday, June 24, 2026 |
| 11:10 AM - 11:35 AM |
| Great Hall 4 |
Speaker
Ms Suk Yin Wan
Occupational Therapist I
Elderly Health Service, Department Of Health, Hong Kong
Impact of Community Carer Capacity-Building Program: Enhancing Volunteers in Elderly Fall prevention
Presentation summary
Background
Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injuries among the elderly in Hong Kong. The Department of Health Elderly Health Service (DH EHS) of Hong Kong SAR Government, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations, launched the Community Carer Capacity Building Program (CCCBP), train volunteers to screen for elders’ home environmental hazards to prevent falls.
Methods
Occupational Therapists (OTs) of DH EHS conduct workshops to empower volunteers on identifying home hazards using a customized Home Safety Checklist (HSC). To ensure quality, volunteers would review simulated videos to confirm they have achieved high inter-rater reliability with OTs (Kappa value of ≥0.6). Trained volunteers provide advices to elders to alleviate the risk and refer high fall risk cases for OTs’ professional management. Reunion workshops facilitated experience-sharing and collect feedback.
Results
From 2017 to 2024, 83 workshops were held and 1,593 volunteers were trained with 96% (n=1,529) demonstrating high competence in inter-rater reliability tests. Knowledge test (n=857) and confidence level (n=745) both revealed statistically significant improvements (p<0.001, paired t-test).
Volunteers performed 4,415 home visits to elders, including 1,044 (approximately 24%) hard-to-reach individuals. Among home hazards identified in volunteers’ visit compared with OTs’ subsequent visit, 4 out of 15 items in HSC showed significant improvement. Average number of home hazards was significantly reduced from 4.43 (volunteers' visit) to 3.81 (OTs' visit) (p<0.001, paired t-test). Volunteers referred 223 high-risk elderly to OTs and 152 home modifications were completed.
Conclusion
The CCCBP effectively empowers volunteers, offering a sustainable solution in fall prevention for Hong Kong’s aging population.
Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injuries among the elderly in Hong Kong. The Department of Health Elderly Health Service (DH EHS) of Hong Kong SAR Government, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations, launched the Community Carer Capacity Building Program (CCCBP), train volunteers to screen for elders’ home environmental hazards to prevent falls.
Methods
Occupational Therapists (OTs) of DH EHS conduct workshops to empower volunteers on identifying home hazards using a customized Home Safety Checklist (HSC). To ensure quality, volunteers would review simulated videos to confirm they have achieved high inter-rater reliability with OTs (Kappa value of ≥0.6). Trained volunteers provide advices to elders to alleviate the risk and refer high fall risk cases for OTs’ professional management. Reunion workshops facilitated experience-sharing and collect feedback.
Results
From 2017 to 2024, 83 workshops were held and 1,593 volunteers were trained with 96% (n=1,529) demonstrating high competence in inter-rater reliability tests. Knowledge test (n=857) and confidence level (n=745) both revealed statistically significant improvements (p<0.001, paired t-test).
Volunteers performed 4,415 home visits to elders, including 1,044 (approximately 24%) hard-to-reach individuals. Among home hazards identified in volunteers’ visit compared with OTs’ subsequent visit, 4 out of 15 items in HSC showed significant improvement. Average number of home hazards was significantly reduced from 4.43 (volunteers' visit) to 3.81 (OTs' visit) (p<0.001, paired t-test). Volunteers referred 223 high-risk elderly to OTs and 152 home modifications were completed.
Conclusion
The CCCBP effectively empowers volunteers, offering a sustainable solution in fall prevention for Hong Kong’s aging population.
Biography
Yvonne is an occupational therapist, graduated with Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy and Master of Health Science in Gerontology. With over 30 years of experience, she specialized in medical rehabilitation in Hospital Authority and primary care for older adults in Elderly Health Service Department of Health in Hong Kong.
