HONG KONG: Hong Kong's elderly population will receive augmented care services and have more serviced nursing centers, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said in his annual policy address yesterday.

The government will adopt a novel multi-pronged approach to speed up the provision of subsidized residential care places that provide nursing or continuous care, he said.

The aging trend in Hong Kong's population has continued during the past 10 years fueled by a continuing low fertility rate - the lowest among 224 countries and regions reported in the 2009 CIA Factbook - and mortality improvement over the decade.

The graying of Hong Kong will accelerate in 2015- 2016 and about 27 percent of Hong Kong's population will reach the age of 65 or above in the 2030s, according to Fung Hing-wang, commissioner for Census & Statistics Department.

Care-giving service has always been stressed in government's social welfare policies.

The SAR government has promised more care-giving facilities and services for elderly people who live away from home due to health or family problems.

The proportion of nursing home places in existing subsidized contract residential care homes will increase to 90 percent from 50 percent. The government also announced it will make full use of the space in existing subsidized elderly homes to provide more places that offer continuous care.

"We know that our aging population will create greater demand for subsidized residential care places, in particular those with nursing care," Tsang said yesterday.

The government's effort is expected to greatly increase the number of non-private care centers in the coming five years, with five new centers to open in the next three years.

Better still, the service quality of these senior citizen homes will be enhanced by adding more know-how to services.

"We will launch a pilot scheme to provide these homes with visiting pharmacist services to enhance the knowledge and capability of their staff in drug management," the government said.

A total of about 20,000 senior citizens and 7,000 caregivers are expected to be served under the pilot scheme now being carried out in Kwun Tong, Kwai Tsing and Tuen Mun districts, according to Social Welfare Department (SWD) and Department of Health (DH).

The government also launched a policy of home-based care, which focuses on the integration of medical and social provision of care at home.

"There is no place like home. That is why most elderly people prefer aging at home. They need care from family members and support from neighbors," the government said.

The adequate provision of community care and support services is the key to enabling our seniors to remain at home, said Matthew Cheung, secretary for labor and welfare, at a press conference last week.

China Daily

(HK Edition 10/15/2009 page1)