HKCSS “Youth Internship in Caring Profession for a Brighter Future” Project

Sharing by Wida Hon
Year-4 student of BSc (Hons) in PT programme

Since the outbreak of the fifth wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong, many residents and staff of residential care homes for the elderly and persons with disabilities have been infected. At the same time, more than half of the deaths in this wave of the epidemic are from hostels, involving numerous residential care homes for the elderly and persons with disabilities. Thanks to HKCSS and other enthusiastic people, I am fortunate to have been given the opportunity to participate in the HKCSS scheme, so as to relieve the pressure on the frontline staff of hostels, to care for the residents, and at the same time to contribute to Hong Kong.

I was assigned to the Fu Hong Society Tin Yiu Home in Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, to provide physiotherapy service for 50 severely disabled adults. This is the first time for me to take care of severely disabled persons in a nursing home environment, and I have benefited from my work with many unforgettable experiences. On my first day of service at Tin Yiu Home, the staff there said that due to the outbreak of the fifth wave of the epidemic, many residents and employees had been infected. The physiotherapy and occupational therapy services had been temporarily suspended and the related rooms had been converted into a temporary residence for some employees and a storeroom for supplies. The physiotherapist said that he even had to perform a lot of nursing duties and take on night shifts during that time. This showed how much pressure the frontline staff were under during the epidemic. I was impressed by their dedication.

The residents of Tin Yiu Home are severely disabled. Most of them have difficulty in normal communication and low mobility. In addition, they had not received physiotherapy and occupational therapy training for nearly a month. When the training restarted, we had to pay more attention to their needs. Although the residents are not good with words, the experienced staff can find clues in their expressions and body movements, and try to understand their needs. Due to the low mobility of some residents, transfer machines are used frequently or two people are needed to transfer them. In addition to having a full understanding of transferring skills, the staff also need to work closely with their partners so as to transfer the residents safely and effectively.