ENG-2019 — Page 221

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Social Welfare

Funded by the Community Care Fund, the department is conducting two pilot schemes. The Pilot Scheme on Home Care and Support for Elderly Persons with Mild Impairment is expected to serve a quota of about 4,000 low-income elderly people. The Pilot Scheme on Support for Elderly Persons Discharged from Public Hospitals after Treatment aims to provide at least 3,200 elderly people with transitional residential care and/or community care and support to help them age in place in a familiar community and thereby prevent their premature long-term admission to residential care homes for the elderly (RCHES).

Residential Care

The department regulates RCHES under the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance and implements various measures to enhance their service quality. At the year end, RCHES had about 28,000 subsidised residential care places. During the year, a working group completed reviewing the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance, the Residential Care Homes (Persons with Disabilities) Ordinance and related codes of practice, and submitted a report with 19 recommendations to the Labour and Welfare Bureau to consider.

The Pilot Scheme on Residential Care Service Voucher for the Elderly offers a total of 3,000 vouchers in batches to eligible elderly people to give them an additional choice while incentivising RCHES to enhance their services.

Multidisciplinary Outreach Support

In February, the department rolled out a four-year Pilot Scheme on Multidisciplinary Outreaching Support Teams for the Elderly. Comprising social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists, the teams provide outreach support services to address the social and rehabilitation needs of about 45,000 residents of private RCHES.

Carers of Elderly from Low-income Families

A Pilot Scheme on Living Allowance for Carers of the Elderly Persons from Low Income Families, managed under the Community Care Fund, provides up to 6,000 eligible carers with a living allowance to supplement their expenses so elderly people with long-term care needs may, with their carers' help, receive proper care and remain living in the community.

Dementia Community Support

The Dementia Community Support Scheme is implemented jointly by the Food and Health. Bureau, the SWD and the Hospital Authority to provide support to more than 2,000 elderly people with mild or moderate dementia and their carers each year based on a medical-social collaboration model. It was regularised in February and expanded in May to include all 41 district elderly community centres and seven Hospital Authority clusters.

Services for People with Disabilities

Rehabilitation services are provided by government departments and NGOs to meet the different needs of people with disabilities, and to help them develop their capabilities and integrate into society.

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