Care for the Elderly

The government's policy is that elderly people should be able to grow old
in the community for as long as possible. The family remains the primary
provider in meeting the needs of the elderly. Elderly people should be
provided with a sense of security, a sense of belonging and a sense of
worth. To achieve this, the government provides a wide range of
community services to help the elderly remain at home.

At the end of the year, there were 203 independent social centres, 28
multi-service centres, 27 day care centres, 17 respite care places, two
volunteer worker programmes, eight older volunteer programmes, two
outreaching teams, one holiday centre, one pool bus service and a
structured networking system for the elderly in need. The Senior Citizen
Card Scheme, which aims to inculcate respect and concern in the
community for our elderly citizens, was launched in April 1994. About
510 000 senior citizen cards have been issued. Financial and housing
assistance continue to be provided for those in need. At the same time,
residential care services are provided for those elderly people who, due to
health reasons or family circumstances, can no longer be cared for at
home. At the end of 1997, there were 965 hostel places, 6 682 home for
the aged places and 8 837 care-and-attention places.

The Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance came into full
operation on June 1, 1996. It provides for the control of these homes
through licences or certificates of exemption administered and enforced
by the Licensing Office of Residential Care Homes for the Elderly.

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