Gov’t utilizes over 340 smart devices in care homes to boost elderly care

Nursing homes and rehabilitation centers across Macau have installed more than 340 pieces of technological equipment to safeguard elderly residents, people with disabilities, and care workers, the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) confirmed in response to lawmaker Ho Ian Sang.

The lawmaker’s written inquiry to the Legislative Assembly (AL) warned that traditional care models “are increasingly unable to cope with future challenges” as the 2016–2025 plans for elderly and rehabilitation services expire.

Ho pressed authorities to provide greater economic support for social services, urging studies on enhancing and empowering social services in the city.

Ho asked whether social service organizations would be allowed to purchase, borrow, or trial IT products based on their needs.

He also advocated a “cross-disciplinary collaboration platform” uniting social services, medical institutions, research bodies, and companies to integrate university research, clinical needs, enterprise technology, and real-world applications.

As proposed by Ho, a “cross-disciplinary collaboration platform” would drive “localization, intelligence, research and development, and application of age-appropriate assistive devices,” fueling Macau’s “silver economy” and injecting “innovation momentum into the health industry.”

In response, IAS director Wilson Hon detailed recent progress undertaken by his bureau, confirming the deployment of 290 gerontechnology devices in 15 elderly homes and nine special day care centers, as well as 53 assistive tools across 12 disability residences and five rehabilitation centers.

“There are also 12 rehabilitation accommodation facilities and five rehabilitation day centers that have purchased 53 items of rehabilitation technology equipment, including bed alarm systems, virtual rehabilitation systems, dynamic systems for recovery training, sit-to-stand lifters, and gait training equipment with body weight support, among others, to increase physical capacity and health levels and ensure housing and life security for people with disabilities, as well as promote occupational safety and the health of workers,” Hon said.

Underlining steady collaborative progress in this area, the IAS director highlighted partnerships with the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) to link suppliers for silver technology, or “AgeTech,” and with the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDTC) to fund projects such as AI-based eye-tracking cognitive assessments and smart Chinese medicine dispensers.

“The SAR Government is formulating the next phase of the 10-Year Action Plan for Elderly Services and the Ten-Year Plan for Rehabilitation Services, in which smart technology is a key development direction,” Hon concluded. “In the future, technology will be leveraged to continuously strengthen the management and service efficiency of elderly and rehabilitation services.”