Hong Kong mulls expanding home visit scheme to ‘young elderly’ following carer tragedy

Hong Kong authorities are contemplating an expansion of the city's home visit scheme to encompass "young elderly" individuals, specifically those between 60 and 79 years old, who are caregivers for chronically ill partners. This consideration comes in the wake of a recent tragedy involving an elderly caregiver.

Chris Sun, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, indicated on a televised program that the existing scheme, which currently serves individuals aged 80 and above living in public housing, could be broadened. He noted that couples where one partner has a serious chronic condition requiring long-term care are considered high-risk families.

Sun's remarks were prompted by an incident last week where a 70-year-old man allegedly attempted suicide while his 78-year-old wife, who was found unresponsive, later died. The couple was taken to the hospital, and the woman was pronounced dead.

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My initial thoughts would be to cover those aged from 60 to 79. This group are young elderly, but if one of the couple has some serious conditions and require long-term care, then certainly this family is at higher risk.

To identify at-risk elderly couples, authorities plan to utilize big data from various government departments and the Hospital Authority. Sun mentioned that elderly patients with dementia and their caregivers might be prioritized for early intervention, pending discussions with the Hospital Authority to define specific patient types.

The "elderly caring for elderly" phenomenon has raised significant concerns about the support system for Hong Kong's aging population, especially after a series of tragedies involving caregivers. Data from an NGO revealed that 80% of caregivers are aged 60 or above, with over half being 70 or older. Many report significant stress and dedicate at least eight hours daily to caregiving. With Hong Kong's population aging rapidly, the proportion of residents aged 65 and above is projected to increase substantially by 2046.

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We will discuss with the Hospital Authority and look at the data. Hopefully we can identify them and pay a visit to them as early as possible.