An AI-powered home healthcare initiative designed to bring professional health screening and rehabilitation support directly to elderly residents was officially launched on Monday (August 3), marking a new collaboration between academia, government, and community organizations to promote aging in place in Hong Kong.
The "Rehab-link" program, jointly developed by the Sham Shui Po District Office, City University of Hong Kong (CityU), and community partner Seamless Seek & Serve, combines digital health assessments, artificial intelligence, and community volunteers to help elderly residents receive health screening without leaving their homes.
The program will begin its first phase this month in three Sham Shui Po neighborhoods—Nam Cheong East, Ha Pak Tin, and Yau Yat Tsuen—before gradually expanding to other districts.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Legislative Council (LegCo) member and CityU Council Chairman Michael Ngai Ming-tak described the platform as an example of how universities can translate research into practical solutions that improve people's lives.
Ngai said the project combines digital physical fitness assessment, big data analysis, and GPS-enabled service verification to create personalized health profiles for elderly users, identify health risks earlier, and ensure community services are delivered transparently and accurately. He added that technology should not be judged solely by its sophistication but by whether it improves the lives of those most in need, expressing hope that the collaboration model among universities, government, and district organizations could eventually be extended to more communities across HK.
LegCo member Vincent Cheng said the program addresses the needs of elderly residents—particularly those living alone—who often hesitate to leave home because of concerns about falls or deteriorating health.
Drawing on his role in sports science development, Cheng said technologies previously used to support elite athletes could also benefit the wider public. He described Rehab-link as an important example of applying sports science and health technology in the community to provide more accessible preventive healthcare for elderly residents.
AI-assisted screening and community volunteers
Speaking to a DotDotNews reporter after the ceremony, Ming Wai-kit, an associate professor in public health and epidemiology at CityU, said the project was created to move healthcare beyond hospitals and into local communities.
"We hope universities should go into the community," he said. "We are trying to bring research outcomes directly into society."
The Rehab-link mobile application allows trained volunteers to conduct health assessments at elderly residents' homes, including evaluations of fall risks, rehabilitation progress, and physical function. The information is uploaded to the platform for analysis, enabling potential health risks to be identified at an earlier stage.
Unlike traditional community healthcare programs that rely primarily on medical professionals, the project mobilizes university students—including public health master's and doctoral students—as volunteers. They will visit elderly residents, assist them in completing health assessments and help those unfamiliar with smartphones use the application.
Ming said the initiative was designed with elderly users in mind, recognizing that many have limited digital literacy.
"One of the assessments' challenges is that many elderly people do not know how to use technology," he said. "That's why we have recruited a large number of volunteers to assist them throughout the process."
The platform also includes functions for caregivers, allowing family members to input health information or assist elderly users with routine assessments.
Looking ahead, the team plans to introduce AI-powered motion analysis, allowing the system to automatically evaluate rehabilitation exercises by analyzing short videos recorded on smartphones.
Building community health data
Beyond individual health monitoring, Ming said the project aims to establish a comprehensive community health database to support future policy-making and resource allocation.
"In the past, we lacked systematic information about the health conditions of elderly residents in the community," he said.
"With the data collected through the platform, we can better understand their health conditions and allocate community resources more accurately."
He said anonymized community health data could eventually support district organizations and service providers in designing more targeted health programs while complying with privacy regulations.
To minimize sampling bias during the pilot phase, the research team selected three neighborhoods representing different socioeconomic backgrounds within Sham Shui Po, rather than focusing solely on lower-income communities.
Ming added that the long-term ambition is to expand the program across HK and eventually beyond the city after the pilot phase.
GPS verification to safeguard home services
In a separate interview, Ada Chan, CEO of Seamless Seek & Serve, said the project responded to practical challenges that elderly residents requiring rehabilitation face.
Many elderly people and stroke survivors currently need family members to accompany them to hospitals or community centers for rehabilitation, creating significant physical and emotional burdens for both caregivers and patients, she said.
The team therefore designed the platform to make rehabilitation support available at home whenever possible.
Chan said another major concern was ensuring the authenticity of home-based services.
The application incorporates dual GPS verification and identity authentication mechanisms to confirm that authorized personnel from recognized service organizations carry out home visits.
"The entire process is traceable and verifiable," Chan said, adding that the mechanism prevents fraudulent or unauthorized home-care services.
She acknowledged that some elderly residents may initially have concerns about privacy or allowing unfamiliar people into their homes.
To strengthen public confidence, the program will work closely with care teams, district councilors, and government departments so that home visits are conducted through trusted community networks.
"The most important goal is to ensure public resources truly reach those who need them," Chan said.
"We want to provide services as soon as elderly residents need them, without missing the golden window for rehabilitation."
The pilot program is expected to serve more than 200 elderly residents during its initial phase, with organizers hoping the model can eventually become a blueprint for community-based preventive healthcare throughout HK.
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