Loading...


2020 February
Elderly Homes are Not the Only Option

With scare and expensive land, Hong Kong may not be the preferred location for elders to age at home. A team of 30-somethings founded a social enterprise to provide elders with customized interior design and maintenance service. They hope to address the day-to-day living requirements of the elderly through interior design and home improvements. They also wish to collaborate with medical, technology or other sectors to enable aging at home.
 

 

Recalling what drove him to start his own company, Lawrence Lui, Founder of “Longevity Design House”, candidly shared that it all began from his personal experience. A few years ago, Lui’s father was diagnosed of terminal lung cancer. While Lui senior spent his final days at home, the living environment back then was not conducive for an elder’s life. The family intended to remodel the home according to the recommendation of the medical report, but they were met with lots of difficulties. Lui felt regretful for not being able to provide the best care for his father. Consequently, he made a radical change from his career in public relations.

 

According to regretful experience led to a new business

“Longevity Design House” provides its clients with interior design for the entire home or partial remodeling and renovation. In the first stage, interior designers and engineers would visit the site, take measurements and customize graphic designs for the proposed solutions. They would also provide an assessment report by an occupational therapist as required.

 

Various proposals to cater for different needs

Next, the company would provide two to three proposed options for the client. “The first one is designed based on the original layout, and the other is an elder-centric design that caters for the aging tenants’ needs. The main axis of the third one, on the other hand, looks at the possible issues that the elder may face in future, hoping to help tenants prepare for tomorrow.”

 

Lui explained that, as elders’ mobility deteriorates, they become less responsive and are faced with different changes to the conditions of their body and mind. As such, their homes should be remodeled according to individual circumstances. Quoting figures, Lui noted that elders may easily fall or trip, with around 40% of these cases occurred in their homes. To prevent falling and tripping, suitable handrails and non-slip mats shall be installed; uneven flooring and door thresholds should also be avoided.

 

“There are very specific requirements on corridor width in certain barrier-free designs. Elders can consider smart toilet seats and handrails in corridors. Walls corners are better streamlined…” Lui can make a long list of necessary home improvements to support elders’ living. He emphasized that while the goal is to integrate the medical requirements of elders into home design, they must do their best not to turn the remodeled project into something too similar to an elderly home. They wish to adopt personalized designs such that elders can enjoy life at ease in a safe and comfortable living environment.

 

Aging population gives rise to demand

After the client confirms the details of the proposal, the company would suggest the most suitable equipment, list out the model numbers, quantities and prices of everything that should be bought, said Lui. The company would also accompany the client to shop for these items. Upon project completion, a visit by an occupational therapist is arranged to make recommendations based on how the remodeled home is used by the client.

 

Lui highlighted that more and more people are placing a strong importance on the concept of aging at home, and they do know how to make early preparation. “Which is why our business is growing stronger.” Quoting the number of full-apartment renovation projects as an example, Lui said that the company currently takes up 40 to 50 cases per year. If maintenance cases are also counted, the company serves over 1,000 units every year. Lui stressed that apartments should be renovated as soon as possible, not only to address patients’ needs, but also to tackle the hidden problems found in an old building.

 

Intuitive showcase in an experiential studio

As a social enterprise, “Longevity Design House” has been allocating two-thirds of its profit to a home improvement subsidy scheme for underprivileged elders, as well as to support the company’s operation and the training of apprentices. In 2017, a corporation granted the social enterprise a three-year rent-free lease, with which they established Hong Kong’s first experiential studio that showcases the home design for elders and demonstrates how elders can be taken care of. “It is very important, as clients could touch and feel the materials used and experience how special are the custom-made designs on site. This helps them understand the value of our service.” In the long run, Lui hopes to serve more elders with inexpensive projects, bringing them a safe and comfortable living environment.