Firm nominated for Spirit of Hong Kong award for its seniors' 'family channel'

Some elderly people have embraced the internet and have become quite multimedia-savvy, but there are still many others who simply do not enjoy computers and hi-tech gadgets.

So Joe Wong Chi-yin of Medisen, a medical solutions and devices design company, set out to address the widening technology gap between young and old - by using more technology.

He came up with a custom-made television channel that lets the elderly keep up with relatives at the flick of a switch.

The South China Morning Post ran a report on the invention - the Senior Channel System - this week. The system helped Medisen win this year's Gold Medal Award at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva.

Now the company has been nominated for the Innovation for Good Award in the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards 2014.

"The idea is to help the family communicate," says Wong, showcasing his video technology at the Technology and Science Parks near Sha Tin.

"Many people use smartphones to take photos and put them on Facebook," he says, but this often ostracises the elderly relatives who are not on Facebook and so cannot enjoy those photos of their grandchildren and family. The system changes all that.

Using what Wong calls a "video stick", programmes and photos can be uploaded to a specific channel on grandpa and grandma's television set, which they can then sit down and enjoy.

Items uploaded don't have to be just photos of their granddaughter at Ocean Park. The granddaughter can also upload music videos that she feels her grandparents might like to watch, or a gentle exercise video.

The format is very straightforward, says Wong, because most elderly people are not interested in learning new technology - they just want the simple method of a set television channel.

Wong says the system has also been developed to use with people with dementia. With it, user behaviour and feedback are captured and recorded as the content is displayed.

As some elderly people with dementia may not be good at expressing themselves, the system can help find out the content that interests them most.

The first version of the Senior Channel System, without the camera, will be launched in Hong Kong in November at a price of HK$1,500.

Wong, who is also keen to further develop ideas to help people suffering from dementia, says the system can even be used for family members living in different countries.

"It's a worldwide problem with an ageing population," he says. "That's why I want to make something to help the elderly."