Social Welfare 197
Residential Care Services
At year-end, 25 188 subsidised residential care places were available to needy elderly people, including 2 905 self-care hostel places and home-for-the-aged places, 20 191 care-and-attention (C&A) places (of which 6 609 were purchased from private residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs)), and 2 092 nursing home places. The overall supply of subsidised residential care places has increased by 60 per cent in about ten years.
To meet the growing care needs of the elderly, the SWD launched a phased conversion programme in 2005 to convert subsidised places with no long-term-care element into C&A places, providing a continuum of care. At year-end, a total of 4 277 C&A places with continuum of care were created through the conversion programme.
The Government is committed to enhancing the quality of RCHES. The Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation regulate these homes through a licensing system. The SWD also helps RCHES to improve their capability, ensuring that elderly residents will receive proper care. In a continuing effort to improve drug management in residential homes, the SWD jointly organised a series of talks with the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority in 2009 to enhance the drug management skills and knowledge of staff in the homes, in addition to forming a Working Group on Drug Safety in RCHES involving all relevant stakeholders.
Rehabilitation Services
With the aim of integrating persons with disabilities into society and helping them to develop their capabilities fully, government departments and NGOs provide a variety of rehabilitation services to meet their different needs. These services are co-ordinated by the Commissioner for Rehabilitation on the
the advice of the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee.
Services for Children with Disabilities
At year-end, there were 1 860 integrated programme places in ordinary kindergarten-cum-child care centres, 1 544 special child care centre places (including 110 residential places), and 2 186 early education and training centre places for children with disabilities. In addition, 56 places in small group homes were provided for mildly mentally handicapped children who could not be adequately cared for by their families.
Services for Adults with Disabilities
To develop the potential of persons with disabilities,
disabilities, 1645 supported employment places were made available for them to work in open settings with support and assistance. In addition, 432 places for persons with disabilities created under the 'On the Job Training Programme for People with Disabilities' and 311 places for young persons with disabilities or early signs of mental illness under the 'Sunnyway On the Job Training Programme for Young People with Disabilities' were made available to assist them in securing jobs. Those not yet ready to compete for
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