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Milestones of HKACS – Jockey Club “Walking Hand-in-Hand” Cancer Family Support Project

Cancer affects thousands of families. At present, cancer treatments are mostly carried out in the day centre, which focuses on dealing with the patients’ physical symptoms. The patients' emotions or psycho-social concerns are often overlooked or incapable to handle due to constraints in time and manpower. The patients need to return home after receiving the day treatment in the hospital, and the responsibility of caring for them falls on the family members, putting them under a great deal of pressure. The patients and their families lack continuous community support during this period, and often left them feeling flustered.

In view of this, the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society launched the “Walking Hand-in-Hand” Cancer Family Support Project in 2011. A team of registered nurses and social workers visited patients and their caregivers at home, telephoned them to offer nutritional and nursing tips as well as psychological support. Regular local support meetings and family outings were organised to encourage self-help and family bonding. Referrals for professional consultation such as Chinese Medicine, physiotherapy or psychology, and tangible assistance such as home cleaning and escort services or charity programmes were made whenever needed.

The Project gained favourable feedbacks from clients and positive outcomes in evaluation study. We are grateful to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for their funding since 2015 that we have been able to expand and enrich our services to benefit many more cancer families.

We are privileged to have the Christian Family Service Centre as our first strategic partner in 2015 and Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Charity Foundation is our second strategic partner in 2018 to establish the Kwun Tong Centre and Tai Po Centre. We look forward to further enhancing the working synergy among our 3 organisations.

We are increasingly convinced that the patient-centred, family-based and community-outreach support model provided by the Project is able to fill the service gap in the existing medical-dominated healthcare system. We are deeply appreciated that the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has extended their support to the Project for three more years till August 2021.

2024
賽馬會『攜手同行』癌症患者支援計劃於2024年3月25日舉行「啟動禮暨新聞發布會」，港大研究發現本港癌症患者及照顧者的困苦程度遠高於外國，經過「攜手同行」計劃介入，癌症患者以及照顧者的困苦程度均獲得大幅改善，證實「攜手同行」計劃的成效。
2022
在召集人黃榮珍女士的最大努力和決心下，「走過驚濤駭浪癌症病人照顧者全面手冊」網站終於推出。手冊不僅包含癌病的知識，還包含處理危機、保持健康、居家照顧以及財務、保險和實際事項的資訊。本手冊得到香港大學、中文大學、醫管局、政府部門和知名專家的大力支持和幫助。
2021
高興再次得到香港賽馬會慈善信託基金的九千四百萬元撥款，為期4年至2025年8月，支持我們繼續支援癌症患者及照顧者的身心社靈健康和進一步加強他們長遠康復願景。

香港防癌會是此計劃的總統籌機構，將服務的領域和範疇擴展，與更多伙伴 ─ 基督教家庭服務中心、雅麗氏何妙齡慈善基金會、香港聖公會麥理浩夫人中心及銘琪癌症關顧中心緊密合作。成立四個地區為本的癌症中心：港島及離島中心、九龍中心、新界東中心及新界西中心，提供個人化支援服務及自我賦能課程，而銘琪中心則以舉辦復康課程為主。
集結12個真實故事於《家家有本抗癌的經 – 專家錦囊》一書中，並舉行發佈會。感謝劉佩驊女士為此書編輯，及心理學家洪傑美女士分析每個家庭面臨的兩難處境。九龍真光中學和新會商會陳白沙紀念中學的學生的熱心分享，揭示年輕人面對癌症的不同觀點。
香港防癌會很高興與渠務署及水務署憑著製作《走過驚濤駭浪》癌症病人照顧者全面手冊及教育短片，於建造業義工獎勵計劃2021中獲得優秀社福機構協作金獎。
2020
LAUNCH of HKACS-Jockey Club “Walking Hand-in-Hand” Cancer Family Support Project (WHIH) Integrative Body-Mind-Spirit intervention model tailored to HK cancer patients helps patients and their families come out of the dark clouds. HKU study proves effectiveness of HKACS-Jockey Club “Walking Hand-in-Hand” Cancer Family Support Project.
Randomised Waitlisted-control Integrative Body-Mind-Spirit study research was conducted on 22 patient- caregiver dyads. In patient group, statistically significant difference was identified in Behaviour Exercise and Clinical Knowledge. In caregivers group, significant interaction effect was identified in Clinical Support.
2018
Jockey Club Charities Trust further supported and funded the project for another 3 years, with expanded teams & a new centre at Tai Po. Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Charity Foundation was the second strategic partner.
Two abstracts were presented at the Asian Family Summit in HK. These were jointly presented by Dr. Fung YL (HKU research team), Mr. Ken Tsao and Mrs. Tammy Lee (WHIH Team).
The Project has supported 2,800 cancer families during the period between 2015 and 2018 and achieved all targets. Evaluation study led by HKU showed positive outcomes.
2016
WHIH Project entered the final round of the 3A Project organised by Consortium of Institutes on Family in the Asian Region and won an Outstanding Award.
2015
HKACS-Jockey Club Cancer Family Support Project launched with funding from The HK Jockey Club Charities Trust for 3 years. Christian Family Service Centre was our first strategic partner and Kwun Tong Centre was established while HKACS remained as the Head Office.
2014
Abstract presentation on the Project at 3A Project organised by Consortium of Institutes on Family in the Asian Region (CIFA) held in Shanghai was made by Team Leader, Mrs. Tammy Lee.
Mrs. Pat Chu presented an abstract at the 10th International Conference on Grief & Bereavement on “Supporting the Family as a Whole – A Needs Assessment Study on Cancer Families in HK”.
HKACS supported the Project on the Society’s own resources while actively exploring other funding.
2013
Chairman of HKACS, Mrs. Pat Chu presented “Cancer Families Support” at the Symposium on Cancer Control: Challenges & Opportunities co-organised by HKACS and UICC.
A press event was held to release the findings of the evaluation study on the project and appeal for support from the community and government with an object to gain adequate resources allocated to support cancer families in the long term.
HKU completed an evaluation study of the project in Oct 2013. The report showed significant improvement in QoL in patients & carers.
2011
HKACS launched a 2 year pilot project, the Walking Hand-in-Hand Cancer Family Support Project.
*HKACS: The Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society
*WHIH: Walking Hand-in-Hand Cancer Family Support Project
*HKU: The University of Hong Kong
*UICC: International Union for Cancer Control