ENG-2016 — Page 185

9

Health

assessment, treatment, education and counselling to people aged 65 and above. The visiting teams conduct health promotion activities for the elderly and provide training to improve carers' skills. In 2016, the centres recorded about 44,200 enrolments and 178,000 attendances for health assessment and medical consultation, while the visiting teams recorded 295,000 attendances at health promotion activities.

The Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme subsidises the elderly aged 70 or above to receive private primary healthcare services in the community that best suit their needs. The annual voucher amount for each eligible elder is $2,000 with a maximum accumulation limit of $4,000. More than 640,000 elders had made use of the vouchers by end-2016.

Eligible Hong Kong elders may use the vouchers to pay for designated outpatient services at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital under a pilot scheme launched by the government on 6 October 2015.

Community Health

Community healthcare services aim to reduce reliance on inpatient services and help patients recover in the community. In 2016, the Hospital Authority conducted 2.01 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 care for their frail residents. In 2015-16, the Hospital Authority started working with the homes to enhance medical and nursing care for residents with terminal illness and to train their staff. Its Community Health Call Centre provides high-risk elderly patients discharged from public hospitals with advice on disease management and care support, and arranges referrals to appropriate services.

Oral Health

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

The department's Oral Health Education Unit holds targeted educational activities to promote oral health, such as the Bright Smiles Mobile Classroom for primary students. Information on oral health is available through the unit's homepage. The department also 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 for elders in residential care homes and similar facilities.

A four-year pilot project launched in 2013 provides dental services for adults with intellectual disability who are recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA), the Disability

143