In order to promote the development of home care services and enhance its professional standards, the ‘International Home Care Nursing Standards and Practices in the Greater Bay Area Symposium Series Macau’, organized by Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau (KWNC) and co-organized by Florence Nightingale Home Health and Nursing (FNHHN), was held on 24th April 2024, with the invitation of Dr. Susan Hinck, President of the International Home Care Nurses Organization (IHCNO), Ms. Barbara Piskor, former President of IHCNO, Mrs. Marilyn D. Harris, Treasurer of IHCNO, and Dr. Tso Shing Yuk, Founder of Florence Nightingale Home Health and Nursing, Hong Kong, and the representatives from the Social Welfare Bureau, Health Bureau, as well as experts and academics of the Greater Bay Area, local practitioners, were invited to discuss on the development of home care service standards, service quality control and development trend
 
International experts shared the importance of home care nursing
Dr. Susan Hinck, Ms Barbara Piskor and Mrs Marilyn D. Harris, three experts from the International Home Care Nurses Organization (IHCNO), introduced the objectives of IHCNO and the importance of home care services respectively. They emphasized that home care nursing is to enable patients to receive personalized and professional nursing care in a familiar home environment, which is conducive to physical and mental health. They believed that academics and service providers are close partners, and that service development should be research-led, and the development of locally adapted standards for home care is the only way to promote the development of services, and help to save social healthcare expenditure.
 
KWNC actively promotes the development of home care services in Macao
President of KWNC, Van Iat Kio, expressed that the event has gained enthusiastic support from the SAR Government and representatives of the industry, including the Social Welfare Bureau, the Health Bureau, hospitals, and a number of senior care organizations, reflecting that all sectors of the community attach great importance to the improvement of Macao's[YC2]  home care services, and that it is hoped that through the symposium, the establishment of Macao's home care standards and the enhancement of quality would bring enlightenment to the industry, and that it would also promote co-operation and exchanges among the professional organizations in the region, aiming at a multi-pronged approach that includes policy support, resource input, and staff training, etc. It is hoped that through policy support, resource investment and staff training, the long-term development of the home care industry in Macao and the Greater Bay Area can be promoted.
 
Sharing of practical experience by local organizations
Representatives from four local organizations, namely, Wong Hoi Leng, Director of Obras Das Maes Senior Citizen Support Services Centre, Mok Tau Fan, Deputy Director of Caritas Home Care and Caregiver Support Service Centre, Wu Cheng I, Nurse of Home Care Service Team of the Federation of Trade Unions, and Tam Hio Hong, Social Worker of Macao Neighborhood Association Port Interior Day Centre, introduced the outreach of the organizations’ home care services, and explained the operation mode and challenges faced by the home care service providers through cases. Representatives of the four organizations agreed with the Macao SAR Government's policy direction of ‘ageing in place’ and hoped that in the future, they would integrate other social resources and collaborate with the academic sector in order to formulate home care standards suitable for use in Macao through scientific research.
 
Dementia Care Learning Platform to be launched soon
Professor Leong Sok Man, Executive Officer of Research Management & Development Department of KWNC, said that in recent years, KWNC has been actively carrying out researches related to dementia care, end-of-life care and life and death education, and that a preliminary study conducted by KWNC and the Flinders University of Australia has confirmed the effectiveness of the e-learning platform developed by the College for dementia caregivers. The project has commenced staff training this month and will be rolled out to social service organizations in Macao next month for trial use, with plans to expand to other cities in the Greater Bay Area in the future to provide professional guidance to carers and people in need.
 
Fruitful Symposium
After the symposium, experts from IHCNO and FNHHN also visited the teaching facilities of KWNC, as well as Kiang Wu Hospital and local Senior Services Centre, to learn more about the teaching resources of the College and the operation and outreach services of the local healthcare and elderly care homes in Macao. This fruitful event has laid a solid foundation for the development of home care services in Macao, and has also established a good platform for the co-operation and exchange of home care services in the Greater Bay Area.