XN000022-1995-01-18 — Page 59

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Reply:

Most of the mental illnesses suffered by elderly people in Hong Kong are mild in nature and can be appropriately treated by primary cate physicians.

For the elderly with more severe mental illness which require specialist psychiatric care, a comprehensive spectrum of services are available in the public sector including acute care, extended care, ambulatory care and community care. These services are staffed by well qualified psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists, social workers and other health care workers in the medical as well as social welfare services.

The Hospital Authority has developed psychogeriatric services as a sub- specialty development of psychiatry. The intention of establishing these teams is to offer expert care to special cases, and especially to develop outreach community care programmes. This will augment the quality of care by ensuring continuity of care through close collaboration with other carers and by providing appropriate early detection and intervention of patients with special mental illness. For the most cost- effective use of resources, these teams are currently concentrating on the larger elderly homes where they can see more patients per visit, and train up the staff to better care for a larger number of patients.

The Working Group on Care for the Elderly has recommended that four additional psychogeriatric teams be set up to cater for projected demand. To this end, funds have already been secured for the Hospital Authority to set up a new psychogeriatric team in 1995/96 to serve the eastern part of Hong Kong. Funds for the remaining three teams will be sought.

End/Wednesday, January 18, 1995

Operation of highways maintenance vehicles

Following is a question by Rev the Hon Fung Chi-wood and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport, Mr Haider Barma, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday);

Question:

On the Polo Highway on 4 December last year, a truck smashed into the rear of a highway maintenance vehicle which had a big arrow signal light on display. The truck pushed the vehicle forward for more than 100 metres before it stopped, and the truck driver sustained serious injuries and died. In connection with this, will the Ciovernment inform this Council:

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