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Health

strengthen family support so as to minimise illness and disability. The centres provide 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 2017, the centres recorded about 45,000 enrolments and 178,000 attendances for health assessment and medical consultation, while the visiting teams recorded 294,000 attendances at health promotion activities.

The Elderly Health Care Voucher Scheme subsidises the elderly to receive private primary health care in the community that best suits their needs. In July, the eligibility age was lowered from 70 to 65. The annual voucher amount for each eligible elder is $2,000 with a maximum accumulation limit of $4,000. More than 950,000 elders had made use of the vouchers by end- 2017. 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 provided by the government.

Community Health

Community health care aims to reduce reliance on inpatient services and help patients recover in the community. In 2017, the Hospital Authority conducted 2.05 million home visits and outreach care services, including for elderly and mental patients.

More than 80 per cent of those receiving the Hospital Authority's community nursing services are elderly. In addition, community geriatric assessment teams visit residential care homes for the elderly regularly to provide medical and nursing care to frail residents who are unable to attend specialist outpatient clinics. These teams train carers at the homes to care for their residents as well. Since 2015-16, the Hospital Authority has been strengthening its community geriatric assessment team services in collaboration with palliative care teams and the homes, to enhance care for residents with terminal illness and to train the staff.

The Community Health Call Centre provides telephone support to high-risk elderly patients discharged from public hospitals, offering advice on disease management and care support, and arranging referrals to appropriate services for patients in need.

Oral Health

Eleven government dental clinics provide emergency services in pain relief and tooth extraction, while seven public hospitals offer specialist oral health care. 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.

Outreach dental teams set up by NGOs receive government subsidies and provide free dental services, including fillings, extractions and dentures, for elders in residential care homes and similar facilities.

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