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Operation Santa Claus
Hong KongEducation

Never too old to learn: Hong Kong's elderly get to grips with digital technology

American Express staff celebrate Christmas with senior citizens and pledge donation of tablets and printers

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American Express staff members paying a holiday visit to Chung Hok Elderly Centre in Sheung Wan. Photo: Dickson Lee
Oliver Chou
In many ways, the saying, ‘give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime’ describes well the attitude embraced at the Chung Hok Elderly Centre. But the robust senior citizens who belong to the centre are hungry not for seafood, but an iPad.

“Let me be the first one on the list to learn how to master it,” said Lee She-yuen. “I’m ready.”

“I’m old but that doesn’t mean I don’t learn,” the dramatist and painter, added.

READ MORE: Operation Santa Claus: assessment centre offers a helping hand for elderly before dementia takes its toll

Magdalen Leung Lai-Kam, a retired English teacher from Marymount Primary School, said learning hi-tech devices at the centre with contemporaries like Lee was a pleasure compared to learning at home.

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Leung, a Cantonese opera singer, said she was at first intimidated by the tablet, but warmed up to it.

“The staff here have been very patient with me and answered any questions I might raise,” said Leung, 70. “My children at home lacked patience and said I asked too many questions and learned nothing. That was very discouraging.”

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Aaron Fung Yi-lun, a social worker at the centre located in Sheung Wan, said he had a special way to get the elderly excited about the new devices.

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