ELDERLY SERVICE IN HONG KONG
|
|
Elderly Population
 |
The Hong Kong population is ageing.
The proportion of the population aged 65and over has increased.
At the end of 2006, the population of elderly persons aged
above 65 is 12.5% (0.86 million) of the total population
in Hong Kong. It is estimated that in 2016 and 2033, the
percentage will increase to 14% and 27% respectively. |
 |
Our seniors are living much longer
than before. In 2005, the population of elderly persons
aged 75 or above was around 0.36 million, about 43% of the
elderly population. In 2011, the number will increase to
420,000, which is estimated to be 48% of the elderly population.
In 2006, life expectancy of male was 79.5 years of age,
and the figure for female was 85.6 years of age. In 2033,
the figures are expected to increase to 82.5 and 88 respectively. |
 |
In 2005, the elderly dependency ratio
is 168, i.e. every 1,000 employed persons has to raise 168
elderly persons aged 65 or above. As the elderly population
has been increasing and the birth rate is dropping, the
figures are expected to increase to 282 in 2023 and 428
in 2033. |
Go Top
Living Conditions of the Elderly
 |
According to the statistic profile
in the year of 2000 (98,000) and 2004 (105,400), the singleton
elderly has increased 7%. Although most of the elderly persons
are still living with their families (around 56.8 of the
elderly population), more and more of them are either living
alone (11.3%) or living with their spouse only (18.4%).
|
 |
Most of the elderly persons aged 60
have retired, and only around 13.4% are still working. According
to a survey conducted in 2001, median earnings of elderly
persons was HK$2,600 per month (median earnings per head
in Hong Kong was HK$10,000), and over 80% of the elderly
persons were living on savings. In 2007, over 0.18 million
elderly persons aged 60 or above are receiving social security
allowance (17% of the elderly population). In addition,
around 465,000 elderly persons aged 65 or above are receiving
old age allowance (54% of elderly persons aged above 65). |
 |
Nonetheless, those soon-to-be-old
(aged 45-59 years old) people are more educated and are
financially more viable. Over 50% of them have secondary
school education or above, whereas 78.7% of those aged over
60 are having primary school education or below. Besides,
one-third of them are having different kinds of retirement
protection, compared to around 16% of those aged over 60.
|
Go Top
Health Conditions
 |
Most elderly persons are still healthy
with over 70% of them are suffering from one kind of or
more chronic illnesses. Among them, the most common illnesses
include hypertension, arthritis, ophthalmology problems,
and diabetes. |
 |
At present there are about 60 thousands
of elderly persons suffering from Dementia. It is projected
that the numbers of demented persons will significantly
increase to 0.33 million by the year of 2050. Among those
who are aged 75 or above, about 22% are suffering from cognitive
difficulties. |
Go Top
Elderly Service in Hong Kong
Since November 2000, the Social Welfare Department
has implemented the Standardised Care Need Assessment Mechanism
for Elderly Services. Under the Mechanism, an internationally
recognised assessment tool, Minimum Data Set-Home Care (MDS-HC)
is adopted to ascertain the care needs of elders and match them
with appropriate services. With the implementation of the Central
Waiting List for subsidised long term care services, the Mechanism
has since 28 November 2003 been extended to cover eligibility
screening for applications for long term care services.
The Mechanism covers applications for admission
to homes for the aged, care-and-attention homes, nursing homes,
day care centres for the elderly, enhanced home and community
care services, and integrated home care services (for disabled
and frail cases). Assessors under the Mechanism are professionals
from various disciplines such as social workers, nurses, occupational
therapists and physiotherapists. They are required to go through
training and accreditation on the use of the assessment tool.
As at 31 Jan, 2007, we have 1903 accredited assessors.
 |
Community
Support Services |
| |
The service objective is to assist
elderly persons to remain living in the community
for as long as possible. These services also give
support to carers. With increasing diversity of community
support services for the elderly, a more integrated
approach to facilitate access to services will be
adopted. |
| |
|
|
Service
Types |
Services
Provided |
Subvented
Units |
| Neighborhood
Elderly Centre |
NEC is a type of community support
services at neighbourhood level which provides a range
of comprehensive services to cater for the psycho-social
and developmental needs of both healthy and mildly
frail elders, including, educational and developmental
activities, volunteer development, carer support service,
counseling service, reaching out and networking, social
and recreation activities, meal service, drop-in service,
Information and referral centre on community resources
|
115 |
| Social
Centre for the Elderly |
Social Centres for the Elderly
organize social and recreational activities for elders
in the community and to provide information regarding
welfare services for the elders and referral to appropriate
services. |
58 |
| District
Elderly Community Centre |
DECC is a type of community
support services at district level to enable elders
to remain in the community, to lead a healthy, respectful
and dignified life, to enhance their positive and
contributing role and to involve the public to build
up a caring community. DECC provides services including
community education, case management, support team
for the elderly, health education, educational and
developmental activities, information and referral
centre on community resources, volunteer development,
carer support services, social and recreational activities
meal and laundry services, drop-in service |
41 |
| Support
Team for the Elderly |
To reach out to single and needy
elderly and provide them with social networking and
support service; encourage volunteers to visit and
assist single elderly. |
41 |
| Day
Care Centre for the Elderly |
Day Care Centres for the Elderly
provide a range of centre-based care and support services
during daytime to enable the frail and demented elders
suffering from moderate or severe level of impairment
to maintain their optimal level of functioning, develop
their potential, improve their quality of life and
to enable them to live in their own homes wherever
feasible and possible. Services provided by Day Care
Centre includes nursing care, rehabilitation training,
health education, carer support services, day respite
service, counselling and referral services, social
and recreational activities, meal, transportation
service. |
51
(1975 service quota* 06-07 revised projection) |
|
Integrated Home Care Service Team |
Integrated home care services aims at providing
difference kinds of care and services to the elders,
the disabled, individuals and families with social
need.
Services for frail cases
The Integrated Home Care Services Teams (IHCSTs)
should address individual service users¡¦ health
concerns and corresponding needs by applying a multi-disciplinary
approach including nursing care, personal care,
rehabilitative service and social work service etc.
A planned and well co-ordinated package of home
care and community care service tailor-made for
individual service user according to their frailty
and disability.
Services for ordinary case including Personal care
/ simple nursing care service, general household
or domestic duties, escort service Child-minding,
home respite service health/safety, purchase and
delivery of daily necessities, provision of meals
and laundry service.
|
60
(28,615 service quota*, 06-07 revised projection) |
| Enhanced
Home and Community Care Services |
To provide enhanced day and
community care services to frail people suffered from
moderate level of impairment, meet their nursing and
care needs and provide support to their carers. The
services including care management, basic and special
nursing care, personal care, rehabilitation exercises,
centre-based day services, carer support services,
respite service, out-of-hour emergency support, environmental
risk assessment and home modifications, home-making
service, provision of meals, transportation and escort
service |
18
(3,385 service quota* 06-07 revised projection) |
| Holiday
Centre for the Elderly |
To provide holiday facilities
in the countryside for elderly people (including those
who need care-and-attention service) to take a rest
and to enjoy pastime with their families and friends. |
1 |
| |
|
 |
Residential
Care Services |
| |
The service objectives are to provide residential
care and facilities for those who, for health, social
and other reasons, are unable to live at home, and provide
assistance in their daily living according to their
varying personal care needs. |
| |
|
| Service
Types |
Services
Provided |
Capacities
as at 31 December 2006 |
Hostel for
the Elderly
will be gradually phased out and converted to higher
level of care in 2006) |
To provide communal living accommodation,
various programmes and care to elderly persons who
are capable of self-care, and yet require support
and guidance in daily living activities. |
-
subvented
: 81
-
self-financing:
16
|
Home for the
Aged
(will be gradually phased out and converted to higher
level of care in 2006) |
To provide residential care,
meals, laundry service, a limited degree of assistance
in activities of daily living, and social activities
for elderly persons who are unable to live independently
in the community. However, they are not dependent
on assistance with personal or nursing care. |
5,526
- subvented : 4,466
- self-financing: 1,060
|
Care-and-attention
Home |
To provide residential care,
meals, personal care and limited nursing care for
the elders who suffer from poor health or physical/mild
mental disabilities with deficiency in activities
of daily living. |
-
subvented: 10,447
-
self-financing:2,432
-
bought place and enhanced bought
place: 6,181
-
Care-and-Attention Providing
Continuum of Care: 2,311
|
Nursing Home |
To provide residential care,
personal care, medical and nursing care to the elders
who, as a result of deterioration in their health
condition, cannot be adequately cared for in care-and-attention
homes. |
-
subvented: 1,864
-
self-financing:324
|
Residential
Respite Service |
To provide temporary or short-term
residential care service for the elders. It serves
the objectives of providing temporary relief to family
members or relatives who are the main carers of elders
requiring a certain degree of personal care whilst
resident in normal environment within the community. |
11 places at 11 homes, and casual
temporary vacant places at residential homes |
Emergency
Placement Service |
To provide a temporary shelter
for the elders in urgent need of accommodation and
care. |
69 places at 24 homes |
|
Go Top
Future Trends
 |
Meet with
the different needs of the future cohort |
| |
The new cohort of seniors, being more educated and financially
viable, is expected to have different needs than the current
cohort. They would be more active in voicing out their needs
and have different demands on the service contents, models
and qualities. If the future policy requires them to pay more
according to their affordability, their expectations would
be even higher. |
 |
Establish
Long-term Care System |
| |
As the number of frail elderly has been increasing, different
government departments, including those concerning health
care, medical and welfare services, should work more closely
in providing multi-disciplinary services, and establish a
seamless long-term care system. At present, we will keep on
advocating for more community support services, as well as
helping carers to care for their elderly members at home.
Residential services will be provided to frail elderly and
those who cannot be adequately cared for by their families. |
 |
Studying
the Long-term Care financing arrangement |
| |
The aged population
is going to reach its peak in the coming decade when the baby-boomers
begin to enter into their old age. Coupled with the low fertility
rate, sustainability of the current Long-term Care financing
arrangement will become a critical concern. |
 |
Increase
in service varieties |
| |
Services for the seniors will become more and more diverse.
Some are in response to the change in policy and some are
in response to the changing needs of the seniors. One of the
examples is the transfer of infirmary service from hospitals
to welfare sector. Another is the assisted living housing.
This kind of retirement housing integrates conventional housing
and care under one roof. |
 |
Service
Integration |
| |
In future, the development of services for the elderly will
adopt the concepts of continuum of care and service integration.
The services will be refocused to provide the elders with
one-stop and professional services, so that they can obtain
services at home or in home-like environment. Programmes include
Pilot Project on Continuum of Care at residential care homes,
Enhanced Home and Community Care Services, and all kinds of
integrated community support services for the elders, etc. |
 |
Multi-skills
Training |
| |
As integration becomes the major trend in elderly service,
welfare personnel are required to learn and master different
skills and knowledge necessary to provide quality care to
the elders, such as nursing care, psychological and social
care of the elders, etc. |
International
Linkages
 |
International
Federation on Ageing |
 |
International
Association of Gerontology |
 |
HelpAge International |
Go Top
(March
2007)
|