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The Government is to launch the $900 million Improvement Programme of Elderly Centres (IPEC), which seeks to enhance the physical setting and facilities of some 250 elderly centres throughout the territories in phases. Applications from interested non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will be invited starting next week. Some 200 000 existing users as well as all senior citizens in Hong Kong will benefit.
The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, spoke about the programme while officiating at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Day today (April 21).
"The elderly centre service is one of the essential community support services at the district or neighbourhood level in facilitating our growing elderly population to 'age in place' and pursue 'active ageing'. These twin principles underpin our elderly care policies," Mr Cheung said.
"To intensify our effort in translating these cardinal principles into reality, the Government will allocate $900 million under the Lotteries Fund to implement the IPEC starting this year. The IPEC seeks to enhance the physical setting and facilities of about 250 elderly centres over the territory. Some 200 000 elders who are users of these centres will benefit," he added.
The initiative was first announced by the Financial Secretary in the 2012-13 Budget and will be implemented by the Social Welfare Department (SWD).
Mr Cheung also welcomed the donaton of $110 million by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to launch a "Jockey Club Elderly Facilities Modernisation Scheme". The scheme will supplement the SWD's improvement programme by enabling participating NGOs to purchase top-up equipment that is more modern or can better meet the users' specific needs.
"The donation will address the diverse needs of a new generation of elders and further support them to age in place.
"By giving these centres a facelift and a new lease of life, we aim to encourage more elderly citizens to pursue continuous learning and exercise more, and to draw out more 'hidden elders' to use the services of these centres and thus integrate into the community," Mr Cheung added.
Both schemes will be administered by the SWD. Some 250 elderly centres, including 41 District Elderly Community Centres (DECCs), 118 Neighbourhood Elderly Centres (NECs) and 51 Social Centres for the Elderly (SEs) subvented by SWD, as well as 40 self-financing elderly centres, will benefit.
The improvement works under the IPEC will commence as early as the end of 2012 and will be implemented in phases across six years so as to enable elders to continue to enjoy centre services in the course of the improvement projects.
Funding will be allocated to individual centres according to their service type and actual size. Thus DECCs, NECs and SEs of the standard size will be provided with some $5 million, $3.5 million and $2.5 million respectively to undergo improvement works.
Participating elderly centres will be able to improve facilities such as air-conditioning, computer systems and health/gymnastics equipment to promote elders' life-long learning and physical exercise. Also, the elderly centres will be able to enhance their barrier-free facilities, layout and design in order to provide a safer environment for elders.
The SWD will inform in writing 78 NGOs operating elderly centres of the implementation details and application procedures next Monday (April 23), inviting them to join the programme.
Ends/Saturday, April 21, 2012
Issued at HKT 12:30
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