Smart Caring for Smarter Support

Bhavana Hemnanim is a 40-year old caregiver for Indian seniors. Her family has lived in Hong Kong for many generations. Apart from Hindi, they speak fluent English, and some of the family members also speak Cantonese. Many years ago, Ms Hemananim’s father-in-law was diagnosed with dementia. At that time, she didn’t know much about community support for dementia patients and their caregivers. All she knew was to take good care of her father-in-law. Suffice to say, it was a very taxing experience for her and her family members. Although the father-in-law is no longer around, she always wanted to know more about the illness and how she could have better care for him. By chance, she found out Dementia SMART – Support to Ethnic Minority Elders Project and wanted to become a volunteer. “I would like to share my experience with members of the ethnic minority community to enhance their awareness of dementia. This way, it helps to identify seniors who might be affected by dementia at an early stage so that they can receive appropriate services and support so to relieve the pressure of the caregivers,” Ms Hemananim said. Language and cultural barriers can impede ethnic minorities from seeking help. With generous support from the Community Chest of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Christian Service started the Dementia SMART project in April 2021, aiming at enhancing the awareness and understanding of dementia in ethnic minority communities. Also, the two-year project targets to facilitate early identification and early intervention for disadvantaged ethnic minority seniors through community education.