“We strive to bring wellness, dignity and fun to the silver generation through our innovative and best quality products and services,” said Stephanie Law, Managing Director at Culture Homes Healthcare Co Ltd.
Culture Homes was founded in 2001 to provide healthcare services for the elderly. Since then, it has expanded its scope of services and products to medical aids, rehabilitation, and a wide-range of lifestyle products for seniors.
“We first started to identify what was most lacking and in demand in the silver generation market,” Law said. “And we noticed that the industry was rather traditional, which means clients are passive, and there were not many choices for them.”
So the company decided to develop a new care service model that recognizes the fact many elderly people want to have more of a say in their lifestyle choices as they grow older.
“We noticed that over 90% of the elderly choose to age in place nowadays,” Law said. “Many of them are intellectual and know what they need. We therefore provide more options for them to raise their living standards.”
From top-notch electric wheelchairs to practical accessories, Culture Homes aims to provide the best silver generation products in the market. It also offers a range of unique and innovative products to fulfil the increasing needs of senior people.
“We want them to feel respected, and to know that they still can lead their own lives.”
Law took reference from all over the world in her pursuit of the best quality products and designs for Culture Homes.
“I was amazed by how innovative and diverse Japanese healthcare products are, and their attitudes toward the elderly healthcare,” she said. “So we imported some of those products and tried to localize them to fit in the Hong Kong market.”
One of the examples is “softmeal,” which helps elderly people who have difficulty chewing or swallowing to continue to eat balanced, healthy meals. This is a texture modified gellant to modify the texture of real food.
“After we brought the idea to Hong Kong, we re-designed and created local food recipes like egg tart and French toast,” Law explained, to make sure older people do not have miss out on these Hong Kong classic treats.
Although the ageing issue in Hong Kong is often seen as a critical threat to society, Law takes it as an opportunity to show the public the possibilities for quality elderly healthcare in the future.
“I don’t treat ageing as a problem. It is a phase that everyone will reach,” Law said. She hopes that being aware of the dedicated products and services that are available will help people to be more open-minded about elderly healthcare.
However, Law said she realizes that providing quality products and services is not enough to transform people’s perception. She wants make a change to the whole industry, and even to society.
“The biggest challenge of the industry is how to move beyond the tradition model,” she said. “We would like to transform the public perception of the elder care industry and foster a positive and caring community.”
To eliminate the stigma and misunderstandings around elder care, Culture Homes also carries out public education and promotion. The company aims to be an agent of change, and a thought leader to create a positive and supportive environment for the silver generation.
“We invited silver generation models for our promotional materials. We even had colleagues dressing as our mascot Captain Softmeal, to showcase our products and services,” said Law. “We want to let people know that silver generation healthcare can be fun and creative.”
This was part of The Project Futurus, a social enterprise arm of Culture Homes. The Project Futurus is a collaboration platform and experience centre that explores the future of ageing, and includes a social media platform “Captain Softmeal” with interactive and easy-to-understand content.
Law won the “Global Ageing Trailblazer Award” in the 10th International Ageing Asia Innovation Forum for her efforts to improve the industry.
“The award was like the Oscar of the elderly healthcare industry,” she said. “It was definitely a milestone for us and really encouraged us to keep on improving our services.”
To further realize and develop her vision, a brand-new flagship project “Forward Living” will launch soon. It is a senior residential community that provides professional care services and an ageing-friendly environment, and demonstrates the company’s vision of “A New Age of Possibilities” for its clients.
“The idea is that we make it just like they are moving into a new community. There will be facilities like a spa, salon, kiosks and restaurants. We want our residents to enjoy a positive and carefree life.”
Law believes that there is enormous potential for future growth in the industry. “We hope to keep on developing our brand,” said Law “so that when people see Culture Homes, they know it signifies the future of silver generation healthcare.”
Company：Culture Homes Healthcare Co Ltd
HKGCC Membership No.：HKC1060
Established：2001
Website：http://www.hkctl.com