Hong Kong Story | An Octopus Card Helps Retrieve Elderly People with Dementia | MTR | Elderly | Hong Kong

Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, July 16th - Question: An Octopus Card Helps Retrieve Elderly People with Dementia

Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Xinlin Shan

On a 277X bus from Lantian in Kowloon, Hong Kong to Fanling in the New Territories, an elderly person did not hear the usual beep sound from the card reader after taking pictures of the Octopus card. Instead, a rapid warning sound was emitted, and the four red lights on the driver's left front console were also lit up at the same time.

The bus driver immediately reported the situation to the headquarters of Kowloon Motor Bus Company in Hong Kong upon seeing the abnormal card taking prompt. The Hong Kong police also received a notice at the same time. Later, the police informed her husband of the news of finding the owner of Octopus, and the family finally let go of the suspense.

KMB staff demonstrated the use of the Elderly Octopus for boarding. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Long Jingyi

One card in hand, assist in tracking

The owner of this Octopus card that has been flagged as abnormal is 81 year old Grandma Chen. She is flexible in her legs and can move freely. From her appearance, she looks no different from an ordinary elderly person, but she is a patient with cognitive impairment.

On February 14th at around 7 o'clock this year, Grandma Chen, who lives in Rainbow Estate in Kowloon Bay, went out for a walk nearby as usual. She, who usually comes home within half an hour, has yet to appear as noon approaches. The husband, who was waiting at home, considered her physical condition and thought of how she had been talking about "going to Fanling and the old neighborhood to reminisce about the past". He couldn't help but worry and immediately called the police for help.

After receiving the report, the police asked Mrs. Chen's husband for her Octopus number and immediately notified two bus companies, KMB and MTR, to enter the card number information into the vehicle management system.

"Once Grandma Chen takes the bus or subway, we can immediately grasp her location," said Yu Kaiyin, Senior Inspector of the Hong Kong Police Force Support Department.

At 3:45 pm, the KMB system detected the missing Mrs. Chen boarding the 277X bus bound for Fanling in Rainbow Estate. The driver immediately sent the information to KMB headquarters and the police.

At this time, KMB Chief Inspector Xie Weibin, who was patrolling near Fanling, received a notice from the headquarters and immediately stopped the 277X bus at a nearby bus stop, comforting the elderly while guiding her to get off the bus.

"Many elderly people like to take buses because they can go sightseeing along the way. So starting from our section can increase the chances of finding lost elderly people," said Xie Weibin.

Hong Kong KMB Chief Inspector of Bus Services, Cheung Wai bin, is currently working. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Long Jingyi

Improve hardware and safeguard security

According to Hong Kong police statistics, out of the 2054 cases of missing persons in 2022, there were 557 cases involving elderly people aged 65 and above, and 358 cases involving patients with cognitive impairment. This means that out of every 10 cases of disappearance in Hong Kong, about 3 involve elderly people.

Starting from the beginning of 2023, the Hong Kong police have established a cooperation plan with KMB and MTR to enhance the automatic toll collection system's function in searching for missing persons. Currently, they have successfully assisted 9 missing elderly people to return home safely.

At present, the population of Hong Kong aged 65 and above has reached 1.56 million, accounting for 21.3% of the total population. The police predict that as the aging population intensifies, the number of lost elderly cases may further increase in the future.

"Therefore, the joint action between the police, KMB, and MTR has become particularly important," said You Kaiyin.

To this end, after multiple explorations and attempts, KMB has completed system upgrades, created a new version of information entry system, and successfully assisted in the recovery of multiple lost elderly people; MTR, with an average daily passenger capacity of 4.5 million, has invested over HKD 3 million to improve its system and add new features to the automatic fare collection systems of heavy rail, light rail, and MTR buses to address technical challenges.

When the staff receives a system prompt indicating that the passenger is a lost person, they will immediately notify the police to follow up at the station. Lost persons who have been registered in the system will not be able to swipe their cards out of the MTR station.

MTR Corporation's General Manager, Leung Ching wen, said, "We hope to use the MTR network to cover all 18 districts in Hong Kong, assist in finding lost elderly people or patients with cognitive impairment, and weave a more solid safety net for elderly people's travel."

Senior Inspector of the Support Department of the Hong Kong Police Force, You Kaiyin, was interviewed. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Long Jingyi

Make multiple efforts to "take you home"

"Did the elderly get lost? KMB Helps You" and "Search for the Elderly" programs to assist in finding the lost elderly... These ubiquitous stickers near Hong Kong stations and on buses are not only a reminder, but also a message of peace of mind.

This Octopus tracking cooperation mechanism, created by the police, KMB, and MTR, has been included in the police's "Take You Home" program.

Octopus, as a common payment tool in Hong Kong, has evolved from a bus card to an all-around card that serves urban life in Hong Kong.

You Kaiyin said that the Octopus search mechanism is a perfect integration of technology and social services, which not only protects the travel safety of the elderly and patients with cognitive impairment, but also brings peace of mind to the families of the lost.

She also encourages family members to install positioning devices for the elderly and patients with cognitive impairment. "If they get lost, they can quickly determine their location and take them home as soon as possible," she said.

You Kaiyin looks forward to more institutions participating to expand coverage. "If other bus companies, shipping companies, and retail merchants can all become participants in this action, we can continue to expand this safety net and better build elderly friendly communities together."

Liang Jingwen, General Manager of MTR Corporation, was interviewed. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Long Jingyi

"With the continuous aging of Hong Kong's population, the elderly and patients with cognitive impairment will be the focus of MTR's care in the future." Leung Ching wen said, "We hope to continuously improve facilities to enhance the travel experience of the elderly and passengers with special needs."

"We hope to provide more loving and humane public transportation services, and also aim to build a stronger 'safety net for finding people' to build a safer and more harmonious Hong Kong. This is our commitment and expectation," said Liang Jingwen.

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