Question No. 11
REPLY BY THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH & WELFARE TO A QUESTION BY DR. THE HON. CONRAD LAM IN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 1985
Question:
Can Government inform this Council the number of cases of maltreatment of elderly persons during the past three years, and what measures are being taken to improve the situation?
Sir,
Abuse of the elderly can take many forms, including
physical abuse, psychological abuse, and various forms of
neglect. The family welfare case records do not include a
specific category which covers these types of case, but a
recent study identified a total of 277 cases being handled
by the Social Welfare Department, the welfare agencies and
the subvented hospitals in late 1983. This does not indicate
that abuse of the elderly is a major problem area.
Į
2.
The Government's overall policy for the welfare
of the elderly is to encourage them to remain in the
community as long as possible, preferably within the family
or a familiar environment. Public Assistance and the Old
Age allowance enable many elderly people to maintain a
degree of financial independence, which helps to avoid
one of the main causes of friction within the family.
Family Life Education programme places considerable
emphasis on respect for the elderly and the need to improve
relationships between the generations.
In addition a
The
/variety...