Gerontech Rental Service will take care of the elderly at home

Ever since its launch, Jockey Club’s “age at home” initiative has become the talk of the town. As an integral part of “Service Close-Up”, we will cover the story of “age at home” rental user, Mrs Lai, to help you better understand the ‘five essential steps’ of our rental service.

Mrs Lai is now 93 years old. Unfortunately, her mobility has been adversely affected by pneumonia and now requires a wheelchair in and out of her house. Our Education and Rental Service Centre had referred Mrs Lai's case to our rental service team, who went out of their way to ensure she would receive timely assistance.

1. Home assessment

Our rental service team that comprised of occupational therapists and social workers visited Mrs Lai at home. Our occupational therapist examined Mrs Lai’s cognitive capacity, self-care ability and living environment. On the other hand, our social worker assessed her physical and social needs to provide the best support and care. We also worked with other social organizations to ensure Mrs Lai has access to various social service centres and resources. As she suffers from reduced mobility, our social worker has recommended Mrs Lai and her family to sign up for mobility rehabilitation programmes hosted by NGOs that might slow down her decline.

2. Equipment recommendation

Since our home visit, we now understand that Mrs Lai not only requires the wheelchair but is increasingly reliant on her carer. This is why we recommended her to rent a hospital bed with extra low position and a mobile shower chair. The profiling hospital bed can be repositioned to level with Mrs Lai’s wheelchair for easier transfers, while knee brake adjustability provides a comfortable sitting position that can prevent her from sliding forward. The highly adjustable hospital bed also opens up Mrs Lai’s visual field, making communication and daily activities easier. The mobile shower chair can go anywhere and minimises bathroom accidents. It also offers a cutout seat that greatly simplifies the cleaning and washing process.

3. Contract consolidation

After Mrs Lai and her family made up their minds, our team consolidated a rental agreement and service terms before delivering the equipment.

4. Operation instructions

Once the equipment had arrived, our team member provided on-site assembly assistance and equipment customisation service. Our occupational therapist taught Mrs Lai and her carer to fully utilise and maximise the equipment functions. Our staff also provided an easy-to-read operation guide and demonstration video for their future reference.

5. Regular follow-ups

Our Care Equipment Counsellors will check in regularly (the third day, the first month, the third month, the sixth month and the first year) with the elderly and their carer on their progress, changes in the elder's physical health and living environment. If necessary, we will further adjust the equipment to meet different needs, and our social workers will give suggestions accordingly.

We chatted with Mrs Lai and her carer, and they both agreed that the equipment had made their lives so much easier. Mrs Lai said she could enjoy a good night's sleep without waking up in the middle of the night.

We hope you are well informed of the 'five essential steps' of our rental service. Our mission is to better understand and serve the needs of the elderly through our gerontech equipment education and rental service, so to pave the way for a truly convenient living environment for the elderly.