Media Resources

Towngas, The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council and The CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing released a report on the effectiveness of the “Chef Anchor 2.0” programme, which has proven to be effective in enhancing the physical, mental and social health of elderly people with subjective memory impairment.   
  
The “Chef Anchor 2.0” programme combined elements of occupational therapy with the professionalism of culinary instructors to integrate “procedural memory” into recipes, allowing patients with subjective memory impairment to undergo cognitive training during the cooking process. The programme also added a new component of carer participation, allowing the elderly and their carers to enjoy flame cooking together. The elderly could demonstrate their self-cooking skills and regain their confidence through the programme. At the same time, the programme also helped carers to think differently, and learn that the skill of caring for the elderly is to let go at the right time, so that the elderly can participate in sharing household chores and maintain their self-care skills.
  
The CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing analysed the performance of 60 pairs of elderly people with subjective memory impairment and their carers before and after the programme, and compared data from the experimental and control groups. And the findings include: 
1.    The programme has boosted the elderly’s confidence in cooking, with 50.0% of the elderly improving their confidence in cooking. 
2.    The programme has made carers feel more comfortable allowing the elderly to flame cook at home. 66.7% of carers had increased confidence in the elderly they cared for to cook their own food. 
3.    The programme has improved the Overall Physical and Mental Health Index of the elderly and their carers. 55.0% of the elderly and 53.3% of their carers had their scores improved. 
4.    The programme brought back the joy of cooking and a sense of meaning to the lives of the elderly and their carers. 46.7% of the elderly and 43.3% of carers experienced an increased sense of meaning in their lives. 
5.    The event provided a platform for the elderly and their carers to cook together, thereby enhancing communication and cooperation between them and improving family harmony and satisfaction. 40.0% of the elderly showed improvement in their satisfaction with family harmony, with the improvement being particularly noticeable among the male elderly (75.0%).
6.    The programme improved the self-rated health of the elderly with impairment in independent daily activities. 50.0% of the elderly had improved their self-rated health. 
*The Overall Physical and Mental Health Index is a score that combines four indicators of physical and mental health, including life satisfaction, wellbeing, meaningfulness of life and self-rated health.  
 
By utilising its corporate strength – flame cooking, Towngas would like to help people with cognitive impairment. It is hoped that the “Chef Anchor” programme can be further deepened and provide more comprehensive assistance to the needy. 


Judy Chan (centre, back row), General Manager - Corporate Affairs of Towngas, Wong Chui-yan (4^th from left, back row), Assistant Director of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, and Dr Yu Ho-yan (3^rd from left, back row), Senior Research Fellow (by courtesy) of CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing, attend the event to introduce the effectiveness of the “Chef Anchor 2.0” programme.


Towngas volunteers, the elderly and their carers joined the “Chef Anchor 2.0” programme to enjoy flame cooking together.