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The Ad Hoc Group on the Elderly in Poverty, set up under the Commission on Poverty, held its first meeting this afternoon (September 19). The Ad Hoc Group is chaired by Mr Tik Chi-yuen. The Vice-chairman of the Elderly Commission, Professor Alfred Chan Cheung Ming, is also a member of the Ad Hoc Group.
The meeting agreed to focus on four key needs of the elderly in poverty -- health, financial assistance, daily living and social network. In the short-term, the Ad Hoc Group would explore the following improvement measures:
* Improve the medical fee waiver mechanism in order to help the elderly poor not on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) to access medical services, and strengthen preventive measures.
* Explore the possibility of adjusting the current CSSA assets limit for the elderly poor to take into account their special circumstances and needs.
* Strengthen support to the "hidden elderly" through enhancing the role of the Support Teams for the Elderly in the 41 District Elderly Community Centres.
* Collaborate with the Elderly Commission on initiatives to reinforce the social support and network of the elderly in the community.
The Ad Hoc Group would also study long-term issues including retirement protection and long-term care for the elderly and consider making longer-term policy proposals.
"Our community cares for elderly people. We devote a lot of resources and effort to encourage healthy and positive ageing of our seniors. It is high time that we paid more attention to the elderly in poverty who are not yet assisted by the existing services and support," Mr Tik said.
"Some of the 'hidden elderly' are unaware of the existing services due to physical or social isolation, e.g., living alone or in remote areas. Some of them have complicated family circumstances. It is of utmost importance that we have a network to reach out to these elderly people in poverty, to help them integrate into the community so that they can be supported and assisted when necessary," Mr Tik added.
The agenda and papers of the meeting are available at the commission's website: www.cop.gov.hk.
Ends/Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Issued at HKT 18:23
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