214 Social Welfare
Day activity centres provided 4 637 places where persons with intellectual disabilities were trained to live independently.
There were 7 685 places in hostels and care homes providing residential care services for persons with disabilities who were unable to live independently in the community, or whose families could not care for them adequately. A total of 60 residential places were also provided under the pilot BPS for private RCHDs. Elderly blind persons were provided with 825 places in care homes. For discharged mental patients, 1 509 places were provided in halfway houses and 1 507 in long stay care homes.
Professional Back-up and Support Services
Support services provided by clinical psychologists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists are available to persons with disabilities in rehabilitation day centres and hostels. A speech therapy service is also available to children attending pre- school rehabilitation centres.
A range of community support services is available for persons with disabilities. and their families/carers including those ex-mentally ill patients, living in the community. These included district support centres for persons with disabilities, community rehabilitation day centres, integrated community centres for mental wellness, and rehabilitation services for persons with visceral disability or chronic illnesses.
Residential respite services for persons with disabilities, occasional child care service for pre-schoolers with disabilities and six resource centres for parents/relatives are also available. In addition, there are 16 social and recreational centres for persons with disabilities to encourage them to participate in community leisure activities.
Financial Assistance for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Patients
The trust fund for SARS patients or families affected by this disease was set up in 2003, with an amount of $150 million. The Government further injected $50 million each into the trust fund in 2007 and 2011, increasing the commitment up to $250 million. A total of 890 applications were approved for eligible individuals and/ or their families, making the cumulative payments amount to about $195 million by the end of the year.
Medical Social Services
Medical social workers are stationed in public hospitals and some specialist clinics to provide assistance and services to patients and/or their families with welfare needs, thus helping them recover and reintegrate into society. The SWD has strengthened the manpower of psychiatric medical social workers to dovetail with the new service initiative of the Hospital Authority. Medical social workers dealt with about 170 600 cases in 2011.