Haven of Hope Ho Chung Elderly Home, Sai Kung
“She called it her second home.”
When Li Po Po first moved into a residential care home, she never imagined she would one day describe it that way.
Independent by nature, Li Po Po had always resisted the thought of living in an elderly home. After a serious fall at the age of 97, however, circumstances changed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her family could not visit her in hospital and felt powerless watching from afar. Her transfer to Haven of Hope Woo Ping Care and Attention Home (WPH) marked the beginning of a very different chapter.
There, she found far more than professional nursing care. She found companionship, spiritual support and a community that gave her peace of mind. In 2022, she embraced the Christian faith and often referred to WPH as her “second home”.
Her journey, however, was far from over.
When she later suffered a severe recurrence of COVID-19, her condition deteriorated rapidly. She became agitated, lost her appetite and required intensive medical care. Instead of enduring repeated emergency hospital admissions, she was transferred directly to the Haven of Hope Sister Annie Skau Holistic Care Centre (SASHCC), where doctors, nurses and allied health professionals worked together to care not only for her illness, but also for her emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
Following careful discussions with her family, the medical team shifted the focus from invasive treatment towards comfort and quality of life. Remarkably, Li Po Po gradually regained her appetite and strength. She was eventually able to return to WPH, where she resumed one of her favourite routines—enjoying dim sum at a nearby Chinese restaurant several times each week.
Although Li Po Po peacefully passed away earlier this year at the age of 101, her family remains deeply grateful that her final years were filled with dignity, comfort and joy rather than repeated medical crises.
Haven of Hope Woo Ping Care and Attention Home, Hang Hau
Her story illustrates a growing question facing Hong Kong as our population ages:
Can healthcare and elderly care work as one continuous service, instead of two separate systems?
A Different Way of Caring
Traditionally, residential care homes and medical services operate independently. When an elderly resident becomes unwell, many care homes have little choice but to arrange immediate transfer to a public hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department.
For frail older adults, repeated hospital admissions can be physically exhausting and emotionally distressing. Families are often left waiting anxiously while trying to make difficult healthcare decisions under enormous pressure.
In Sai Kung, Haven of Hope Christian Service has developed a different approach.
Through close collaboration between WPH and SASHCC, the two facilities function as “sister homes”, allowing residents to move smoothly between residential care and medical care according to their changing needs.
Haven of Hope Sister Annie Skau Holistic Care Centre, Tseung Kwan O
When a resident requires more intensive treatment, the transition can be arranged quickly within the same care network. Once the person’s condition stabilises, they may return to their familiar living environment without losing the relationships and routines that are so important to their wellbeing.
This continuity also allows healthcare professionals to begin important conversations with families much earlier. Discussions about Advance Care Planning, future treatment preferences and holistic support can take place before a crisis occurs, helping families make informed decisions that respect the wishes of their loved ones.
Looking Beyond Medical Treatment
The model recognises that ageing is about much more than managing illness.
Doctors, nurses, rehabilitation therapists, social workers, chaplains and care staff work together to address the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of each individual. Rather than focusing solely on disease, the emphasis is on helping older people continue living meaningful lives with dignity and purpose.
For families, this integrated approach also provides reassurance. Knowing that professional medical support is readily available within the same care network reduces uncertainty and allows family members to spend more time simply being sons, daughters, spouses and grandchildren, instead of constantly navigating complex healthcare systems.
Meeting the Challenges of an Ageing Hong Kong
Hong Kong is entering an era of unprecedented population ageing. As the number of older adults living with chronic illnesses and multiple health conditions continues to grow, closer collaboration between healthcare and social care will become increasingly important.
Integrated care models such as the partnership between WPH and SASHCC demonstrate that it is possible to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions while providing more personalised, compassionate and coordinated care.
Ultimately, success should not only be measured by how long people live, but by how well they are supported throughout life’s later chapters.
For Li Po Po, that meant spending her final years surrounded by familiar faces, meaningful relationships and moments of happiness—including simple outings for dim sum that became treasured memories for her family.
Sometimes, the greatest innovation in healthcare is not new technology or new medicine. Sometimes, it is bringing the right people together so that every older person can continue their life journey with dignity, compassion and hope.
Further details of Haven of Hope can be found here http://www.hohcs.org.hk/
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