Jockey Club supports expansion of JC JoyAge project to provide mental-health support to a wider age range

A survey found that about one in seven of Hong Kong’s population aged 16 to 75 suffers from anxiety, depression or other common mood disorders. In response to this societal need, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has approved cumulative funding of HK$678 million in total through its Charities’ Trust to support JC JoyAge. The project aims to expand its community-based mental health support service to a primary-care level, benefiting a wider range of age groups.

Club Steward Bernard Chan delivers a speech at the JC JoyAge repurpose phase launch ceremony.

The announcement was made in a launch ceremony at The University of Hong Kong’s Rayson Huang Theatre today (27 May). Officiating guests included Club Steward Bernard Chan; Dr Libby Lee, Under Secretary for Health of the HKSAR Government; Professor Vivian Yam, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Innovation Centre) (Interim) of The University of Hong Kong; Dr Lam Ching-choi, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Mental Health; and Dr Donald Li, Chairman of the Elderly Commission and Convenor of the Advisory Committee of JC JoyAge.

Group photo with officiating guests at the JC JoyAge repurpose phase launch ceremony.

Initiated and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust since 2016, JC JoyAge has addressed the social problem of elderly depression through a cross-sectoral community support network, enhancing the capacity of professionals and caregivers while raising awareness of elderly mental health. Through collaborating with District Elderly Community Centres (DECCs) and Integrated Community Centres for Mental Wellness (ICCMWs) across all 18 districts of Hong Kong, the project has established an integrated service model covering more than 70% of service units providing relevant services. The project has also trained social workers and young-old volunteers as “Peer Supporters”, to deliver preventive service and interventions based on individuals’ depression risk level and symptom severity.

A beneficiary of the JC JoyAge repurpose phase joined the sharing session.

Building on this success and to address evolving mental health needs, JC JoyAge embarked on a new three-year phase in 2024. While continuing to provide existing services to the elderly through DECCs and ICCMWs across the territory, it is now expanding its community-based support services in a primary-care setting. Other key components are:

1. Primary Care Collaboration: partners Wong Tai Sin District Health Centre (DHC), Southern DHC, and Sai Kung District Health Centre Express (DHCE) to establish the “Jockey Club JoyAge Hub” and introduces “Primary Care Physician Co-Care Services” with designated general practitioners and family doctors.

2. Expanded Age Coverage: extends services to from individuals aged 60 or above to those aged 45 and above.

3. Enhanced Referral Mechanism: collaborates with Hospital Authority Clusters to refer stable and wait-listed psychiatric outpatient cases to community service units or designated DHCs/DHCE.

Club Steward Bernard Chan stated that primary care is a core focus of Healthy Community, a priority area under the Club’s charities strategy. The Club actively aligns with the Government’s direction on primary health-care development. The current phase of JC JoyAge partners DHCs/DHCE in three districts to build an integrated medical-social community mental health support network. Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, welcomed the development in the new phase of the project.

Officiating at the JC JoyAge repurpose phase launch ceremony are Club Steward Bernard Chan (2nd right); Dr Libby Lee, Under Secretary for Health of the HKSAR Government (centre); Professor Vivian Yam, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Innovation Centre) (Interim) of The University of Hong Kong (2nd left); Dr Lam Ching-choi, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Mental Health (1st left); and Dr Donald Li, Chairman of the Elderly Commission and Convenor of the Advisory Committee of JC JoyAge (1st right).

This project’s new phase aims to provide services to over 13,000 at-risk and depressed elderly and middle-aged people, with 90 service users referred to designated primary-care physicians for medical support. In addition, the project will train more than 70 social workers through professional workshops to enhance their mental health knowledge and competency. To strengthen the community network, the project will engage over 480 Peer Supporters to provide community support services and conduct over 1,500 public education programmes to enhance mental-health literacy, thereby building a healthier community.

The Club’s support for the expansion of the JC JoyAge project, like all its charity and community donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and responsible sports wagering generate substantial tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for Hong Kong.

The 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) opened today (27 February) with continuing support from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The partnership dates back to the inception of this major cultural event in 1973, underlining the Club’s commitment to promoting arts and culture while fostering community participation.

The 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival opened with La Bella Otero by Ballet Nacional de España, one of the performances under The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series. (Photo credit: ©FernandoMarco)

Officiating guests at the opening ceremony included HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee; Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, Sun Shangwu; Secretary for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau Rosanna Law; Director of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department Manda Chan; Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao; HKAF Chairman Lo Kingman; and HKAF Executive Director Flora Yu.

Since 2008, the Club has supported three pillar programmes at the HKAF under The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series. This year, the series features the festival’s opening performance of La Bella Otero by Ballet Nacional de España, choral masterpieces from The Constellation Choir and Orchestra led by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin by the National Theatre Brno.

A further highlight is the Jockey Club East-meets-West Series: Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, a Chinese-language adaptation of an ancient Greek comedy. Underscoring Hong Kong’s strength as a melting pot of Chinese and Western cultures, this production promotes collaboration between artists from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and overseas.

In addition, the Club continues to support the fusion of arts and technology through the Jockey Club InnoArts Series. This year will feature a mixed-reality piano recital entitled KAGAMI by Ryuichi Sakamoto & Tin Drum. With the help of augmented reality (AR) headsets, audience members can stand beside iconic Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and experience his final performance – blending physical and digital realities.

Officiating guests at the opening ceremony of the 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival include HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee (centre); Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, Sun Shangwu (3rd right); Secretary for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau Rosanna Law (2nd right); Director of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department Manda Chan (1st left); Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao (2nd left); HKAF Chairman Lo Kingman (3rd left); HKAF Executive Director Flora Yu (1st right).

The Club has long supported The Hong Kong Jockey Club Student Matinee Programme to give students from diverse backgrounds an appreciation of world-class artistic performances. This year the Club will provide up to 3,200 complimentary tickets to Duel Reality by The 7 Fingers – a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet in a sports arena that brings together high-energy acrobatics, dance and music. There will also be pre-show talks to deepen students’ understanding of this celebrated Shakespeare play. For details and all the latest information about this year’s programmes, please visit www.hk.artsfestival.org/en/.

The Club’s support for the Hong Kong Arts Festival, like all its charity and community donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and responsible sports wagering generate substantial tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for Hong Kong.