Community Care for Older Adults in Hong Kong
摘要
The life expectancy of Hong Kong people is among the best in the world. At the same time, Hong Kong is facing an ageing population and the ageing trend is particularly fast in developed economies. The government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has formulated policies—ageing in place and community care, in the face of such demographic changes. The government has established a number of community care services for senior citizens and their carers to support older adults to reside in their familiar neighbourhood as far as possible. Ageing always comes with a greater demand of medical and health services. Primary healthcare has been promulgated by the government to encourage citizens to manage chronic illness in the community. This chapter will first examine the ageing population in Hong Kong and the demographic profile of the older adults. The community care policies in helping senior citizens will be reviewed. The mechanisms and social welfare and health services for older adults in Hong Kong will be discussed. The mental health and poverty issues of older adults are particularly highlighted.