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The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, joined over 100 elders at a year-end lunch at an elderly home in Yiu Tung Estate, Shau Kei Wan today (February 1) to celebrate the advent of the Year of Rabbit.
Accompanied by the Chairman of the Women's Welfare Club (Eastern District) Hong Kong, Mrs Christina Ting Yuk-chee, Mr Cheung was briefed on the services and facilities provided by the Ng Siu Mui Home cum Care and Attention Unit for the Elderly, which is run by the Welfare Club.
Mr Cheung took the opportunity to extend Lunar New Year greetings to the residents and, together with the Club's board members, presented them with gifts including woollen hoods, scarfs and gloves to keep them warm.
He later dined with the elders and gave them mandarins to symbolise happiness and good luck in the year ahead.
Mr Cheung noted that with the rapidly ageing population in Hong Kong, the Government has been allocating additional resources to increase the provision of subsidised care places for the elderly. For example, some 1,095 additional nursing home places will come on stream from this financial year to 2013-14, representing 50% of the existing provision of nursing home places (2,191 places).
"We will also increase the provision of care-and-attention places, particularly higher-quality ones, through the 'Enhanced Bought Place Scheme'," Mr Cheung said.
Mr Cheung said that in order to dovetail with the policy objective of "ageing at home", the government would also extend the service coverage of the "Integrated Discharge Support Programme for Elderly Patients" in phases from the current three districts to all 18 districts in the territory. The number of elders served will also increase from about 8,000 a year to 33,000.
The Social Welfare Department will also launch the "Pilot Scheme on Home Care Services for Frail Elders" in March to provide "tailor-made" home care services for frail elders living at home while waiting for nursing home places.
He also mentioned that with effect from today, the standard payment rates under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme and the rates of Old Age Allowance (OAA) and Disability Allowance (DA) under the Social Security Allowance (SSA) Scheme would be increased by 3.4%. There are currently 1.1 million recipients under the two schemes and the Administration will make an additional allocation of $797 million per year for the adjustment.
As for those who spend more time in Mainland China, they would also benefit from the relaxation of the annual permissible limit of absence from Hong Kong for recipients of OAA and DA under the SSA. The annual permissible limit of absence will be relaxed from 240 days to 305 days in each payment year and the minimum residence period for entitlement to the absence limit will be correspondingly reduced from 90 days to 60 days. After the relaxation, recipients who have resided in Hong Kong for not less than 60 days in the year will be eligible for a full-year allowance.
Ends/Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Issued at HKT 16:09
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