SOCIAL WELFARE
In his 1997 Policy Address, the Chief Executive asked the Elderly Commission to assess the demand for residential care services for the elderly and to recommend a strategy to meet the long-team needs. The Elderly Commission submitted its report to the Chief Executive in Autumn 1998. The government will consider the recommendations for implementation.
The overall objective of services for the elderly is to promote the well-being of those persons aged 60 and over in all aspects of their life. Services are provided according to the policy of ‘ageing in place' so that elderly people can retain their self-respect and remain as members of the community for as long as possible. The Social Welfare Department provides two major categories of services for the elderly: community support services and residential care services.
Community support services are provided to elderly people who require assistance to facilitate them to continue living at home. These services also give support to their carers. At the end of the year, there were 30 multi-service centres for the elderly, 133 home help teams, 28 day care centres for the elderly, one carers' support centre, 209 independent social centres for the elderly, 30 support teams for the elderly, one holiday centre for the elderly and one outdoor/recreational pool bus service for the elderly. The Senior Citizen Card Scheme, which aims to inculcate respect and concern in the community for our senior citizens, was launched in 1994. About 585 382 Senior Citizen Cards were issued by the end of 1998. A total of 1023 companies, organisations, government departments (with 3 341 units and outlets) and 420 medical units (with 501 branches) participated in the scheme.
Residential care is provided for elderly people who need care in their daily living which can be provided only in a residential setting. At the end of 1998, there were 915 hostel places, 6 859 homes for the aged places, 10091 care-and-attention home places, 950 nursing home places, 2 461 self-financing home places, 16 respite places, 461 cases receiving infirmary care supplement and 200 cases receiving dementia care supplement. Admissions to residential care services are co-ordinated by the Residential Care Services Delivery System for the Elderly. The Bought Place Scheme for private homes for the elderly was introduced in 1989 and an Enhanced Bought Place Scheme was launched in November 1998. The schemes provide financial incentive for operators of private care homes for the elderly to raise their service standard. At the end of 1998, 1 806 places were bought from private care homes. Another 2 674 care-and-attention places under the Enhanced Bought Place Scheme will be provided from 1999 onwards.
The policy objective of 'ageing in place' is also applied to residential care services. Higher care supplements, namely, infirmary care supplement and dementia supplement, are provided in accordance with this policy. Moreover, a pilot project to try out the continuum of care concept in selected residential care homes is being developed. The purpose is to provide continuous care to elderly residents in the same residential care home despite deterioration of their health conditions during the course of ageing.
The Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance came into full operation on June 1, 1996. It provides legislative control over all residential care homes for the elderly through the issue of licences or certificates of exemption. At the end of 1998, 212 valid licences and 389 certificates of exemption were issued to subvented, non- profit-making and private residential care homes for the elderly.
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