ENG-2015 — Page 176

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Health

Elderly Health

The department's 18 elderly health centres and 18 visiting health teams provide primary health care to the elderly, improve their ability to care for themselves, and encourage healthy living and their family's support. The centres assess, treat, educate and counsel people aged 65 and above on a membership basis. The visiting teams conduct health promotion activities for the elderly and provide training to improve carers' skills. In 2015, the centres recorded around 42,400 enrolments and 170,000 attendances for health assessment and medical consultation, while the visiting teams recorded 307,000 attendances at health promotion activities.

Community Health

Community healthcare services aim to reduce reliance on inpatient services and help patients recover in the community. In 2015, the Hospital Authority conducted 1.99 million home visits. and outreach care services, including those for elderly and mental patients.

More than 80 per cent of those receiving the Hospital Authority's community nursing care services are elderly people. Community geriatric assessment teams visit residential care homes for the elderly regularly to provide medical and nursing care to residents who are unable to visit the specialist outpatient clinics. These teams also train carers at the homes to take care of their frail residents.

Dental Health

Eleven government dental clinics provide the public with emergency services in pain relief and tooth extraction, while seven public hospitals offer specialist oral healthcare services to patients. with special oral healthcare needs. The department also monitors the level of fluoridation in water supplied to the public to reduce dental decay.

The department's Oral Health Education Unit carries out target-oriented educational activities to promote oral health, such as the Bright Smiles Mobile Classroom for primary students. Information on oral health is also provided through the unit's homepage. In addition, the department organises an annual Love Teeth Campaign to encourage good dental habits.

Government-subsidised outreach dental teams set up by NGOs provide free dental services including fillings, extractions and dentures each year for elders in residential care homes and similar facilities.

A four-year pilot project launched by the bureau in 2013 provides dental services for adult patients with intellectual disability who are recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA), the Disability Allowance or the Hospital Authority's medical fee waiver. Eligible patients get subsidised check-ups, treatment and oral health education at designated clinics, or other necessary services under intravenous sedation or general anaesthesia at designated hospitals.

The department also conducts Dandelion Oral Care Action, a special oral health promotion programme to educate children with mild to moderate intellectual disability in special schools. to take care of their oral hygiene themselves.

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