XN000022-1980-12-08 — Page 2

MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1980

PLANS TO EXPAND WELFARE SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY

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THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MR SELWYN ALLEYNE, SAID TODAY 17 OLD PEOPLE'S CARE AND ATTENTION HOMES WERE UNDER ACTIVE PLANNING WHICH, IF PROVIDED ON SCHEDULE, WOULD OVERTAKE THE PLANNING TARGET BY THE MID-1980'S.

THIS PLANNED PROVISION WOULD HAVE A GREAT IMPACT IN CLEARING THE PRESENT WAITING LIST AND RESOLVING THE PROBLEM OF OLD PEOPLE LEFT IN HOSPITALS, HE SAID.

MR ALLEYNE WAS OUTLINING SOME OF THE MAIN POINTS DISCUSSED AND AGREED DURING A RECENT REVIEW OF THE PROGRAMME PLAN ON SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY, WHEN HE SPOKE AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE DIOCESAN WELFARE COUNCIL THIS EVENING.

THE REVIEW WAS CARRIED OUT BY A COMMITTEE COMPRISING REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR, HE

SAID.

LISTING THE MAJOR PROPOSALS OF THE REVIEW, HE SAID 10 CARE AND ATTENTION HOMES WITH ABOUT 1 400 PLACES WOULD BECOME OPERATIONAL IN 1982-83, AND A FURTHER SIX HOMES WITH ABOUT 900 PLACES IN 1983-84.

+EVEN TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE HIGH LEVELS OF IMMIGRATION IN RECENT YEARS, THIS PROVISION, IF ACHIEVED ON SCHEDULE, WILL TAKE US OVER THE PLANNING TARGET OF FOUR PLACES PER 1 000 PEOPLE AGED 60 AND OVER,+ HE SAID.

IN THE AREA OF OLD PEOPLE'S HOMES AND HOSTELS WITH MEALS SECTIONS, MR ALLEYNE SAID THE EXISTING PROVISION OF 3 000 PLACES IN 28 HOMES OF BOTH TYPES WAS EXPECTED TO DOUBLE BY 1985-86 AS ANOTHER 40 HOMES WOULD COME INTO OPERATION.

AS WITH CARE AND ATTENTION HOMES, HE ADDED, THE PEAK YEARS ARE LIKELY TO BE 1982-83 AND 1983-84, IN WHICH A TOTAL OF 1 800 PLACES ARE PLANNED.

+WHEN THESE ARE PROVIDED, WE SHALL BE ONLY 120 PLACES FROM OUR TARGET, SO I THINK IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT, HERE TOO, WE WILL BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE OUR PRESENT TARGETS BY THE MID-1980'S, HE SAID.

ON MULTI-SERVICE CENTRES, THE DIRECTOR SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THE 1979 SOCIAL WELFARE WHITE PAPER INDICATED 17 WOULD BE REQUIRED,

IT WAS AGREED THAT EXTRA CENTRES WOULD BE PROVIDED IN THOSE DISTRICTS WITH A GENERAL POPULATION OF 500 000 OR MORE.

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AT PRESENT, HE SAID, THERE ARE SIX OF THESE DISTRICTS KWUN TUNG, WONG TAI SIN, KOWLOON CITY, SHAM SHUI PO, TSUEN WAN AND THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF HONG KONG ISLAND.

AS REGARDS HOME HELP SERVICE, HE SAID A UNIFIED SYSTEM WAS PROPOSED TO CATER FOR ALL IN NEED - THE ELDERLY. THE DISABLED AND THOSE WITH OTHER SOCIAL PROBLEMS - ON A DISTRICT BASIS IN ORDER TO AVOID DUPLICATION.

HOWEVER, HE SAID, THE ELDERLY PEOPLE IN NEED OF THIS SERVICE WOULD BENEFIT FROM THE FASTER EXPANSION THAT WAS PROPOSED UNDER THE UN IF IED SYSTEM.

IN THE

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