Frailty creeps into the lives of many older adults as they age. It's not a disease per se, but rather a ‘grey area’ between normal aging and disease - one that makes people feel less capable, more tired, and even interferes with daily functioning. But the good news is: frailty can be reversed! With early identification and appropriate intervention, older adults have the opportunity to regain their vitality and live a wonderful and healthy life in their twilight years.
 
Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau (KWNC) will collaborate with the Lok In Elderly Service Centre of the Women's General Association of Macau from October 2024 to April 2025, with Lecturer Chao Ka Kei as the project leader, to launch the ‘Smart Against Frailty Programme - Enhancing the Inner Resilience to Frailty’ intervention project, which is designed with reference to the WHO Health Policy Framework on Ageing. With reference to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Healthy Ageing Policy Framework, the project has carefully designed an integrated intervention model with ‘enhancing intrinsic capacity’ at its core. The six-month project serves about 50 older adults in the Seac Pai Van community and adopts a twice-weekly intensive activity mode, covering exercise, cognitive training, nutritious meals and professional counselling, and education on chronic disease management, bringing an energetic and warm journey of health transformation to the community.
 
The core concept of this project is to demonstrate multi-disciplinary collaboration to promote the prevention and delay of frailty among the elderly, with the participation of nursing students from the KWNC's Society of Elderly Health Promotion , which is a Sub-club of Students' Union. Let's take a look at the unique perspectives of the students and share with them how they have transformed themselves from ‘accompanying volunteers’ to ‘learning partners with the older adults’.
 
Breaking through stereotypes: from “volunteers” to “buddies”
At the beginning of the project, many students joined the programme with the simple idea of “volunteering” or “having fun with older adults”. However, upon actual contact, they soon realised that this was far beyond their original expectations. The chatty, humorous and contagiously positive energy of the older adults made each activity as relaxing and enjoyable as a gathering of friends. "After each activity, I felt especially happy, as if I had recharged my mind! This is how one of the participating students described his feelings.
 
During the interaction, the older adults not only shared their rich life experiences, but also took the initiative to teach the students how to play games such as Magic Bridge. These exchanges enabled the students to deeply understand the value of being ‘needed’, and at the same time, enabled the older adults to regain the confidence and sense of achievement of ‘being able to teach others’.
 
These real-life interactions completely broke the stereotypical image of older adults held by the students. They thought that most of the older adults were ‘weak and sickly’ or ‘passive and passive’, but they were surprised to find that many of them were full of vigour, and even actively participated in community competitions and won the championships! These vivid stories remind us that frailty is not the whole picture of an older adult's life, and that their potential is unlimited if they are given the right opportunities and support.
 
Through hands-on work with older adults, students at KWNC discovered that nursing goes beyond textbooks—it's about 1. Empowering Philosophy in Practice; 2. Person-centred nursing practice; 3.Valuable experience in inter-professional collaboration. Empowering patients to make choices, listening to their lived experiences, and practising genuine two-way, person-centred care (e.g., taking time to chat after checks), which improves trust and health disclosure. Interprofessional collaboration with physiotherapists and social workers broadened students’ respect for other roles and enriched their approach to elderly care. The Smart Against Frailty Programme exemplifies this ethos—using evidence-based interventions to restore vitality in older adults while fostering students’ professional growth and promoting community cohesion and intergenerational harmony.
 
Igniting the Spark of Healthy Ageing
The ‘Smart Against Frailty Programme’ represents Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau's proactive response to the issue of healthy ageing and innovative practice. It not only helps older adults regain vitality through scientific and evidence-based interventions, but also demonstrates the deep humanistic heritage and social value of the nursing profession through the in-depth participation of students. From the bright smiles of the older adults to the professional growth of the students, this precious learning journey is a strong proof that healthy ageing is not just a medical issue, but also a valuable opportunity to promote community cohesion and intergenerational harmony.
Looking ahead, the College plans to further expand similar innovative programmes, and we look forward to working with more community partners to create a vibrant, warm and supportive quality living environment for older adults in Macao.