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Highlights of the Year 2020-21

Community Care Services for the Elderly

  • Day Care Services
    SWD continued to identify suitable premises through a multi-pronged approach to increase the provision of day care services for the elderly. As at 31 March 2021, there were 90 day care centres/units for the elderly (DEs/DCUs) throughout the territory providing a total of 3 668 day care places (including 120 day care places for the elderly provided in 7 new DCUs set up under the Bought Place Scheme on Day Care Units for the Elderly in May 2020), with an increase of 260 places as compared with that as at 31 March 2020. A total of 4 754 elderly persons, including full-time and part-time users, were receiving day care services in these DEs/DCUs. Extended Hours Service has also been implemented in new DEs/DCUs in the evening of weekdays and daytime of weekends/public holidays according to district needs. This aims to relieve the stress of carers, in particular for those who have long working hours or ad hoc engagements that temporarily prevent them from taking care of the elderly persons.
  • Home Care Services
    SWD changed the contract-based funding mode to lump sum grant for Enhanced Home and Community Care Services (EHCCS) in September 2020. This tallied with the funding mode of Integrated Home Care Services (Frail Cases) (IHCS (FC)). To enhance service efficiency, all cluster teams were converted to district teams to focus on serving a smaller catchment area. The catchment area of each IHCS (FC) Team was also re-demarcated to enhance service effectiveness. The new demarcation came into effect in October 2020.

    SWD provided an additional 3 000 service places under IHCS (FC) in 2 phases. Among them, 1 500 additional service places were provided in October 2020 and the remaining 1 500 service places were provided in April 2021. As at 31 March 2021, a total of 9 245 places were provided by 31 EHCCS Teams, and a total of 2 620 places for frail cases by 61 IHCS Teams, with an aim of enabling frail elderly persons to age in place in a familiar community. The 61 IHCS Teams also provide ordinary case services to elderly persons, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and individuals and families with social needs requiring only personal care, simple nursing care and/or other support services. Besides, EHCCS and IHCS also provide support to carers with a view to strengthening family cohesion.
  • Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly
    SWD implemented the third phase of the Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly in October 2020. The Pilot Scheme facilitates eligible frail elderly persons to choose the service providers and the service packages that suit their needs under the “money-following-the-user” funding mode so as to support ageing in place for elderly persons. SWD further issued 1 000 additional vouchers from October 2020 onwards to bring to a total of 8 000 vouchers.
  • Pilot Scheme on Home Care and Support for Elderly Persons with Mild Impairment
    Funded by the Community Care Fund (CCF), the three-year Pilot Scheme on Home Care and Support for Elderly Persons with Mild Impairment was launched in December 2017 by SWD. Under the Pilot Scheme, NGOs operating Integrated Home Care Services (Ordinary Cases) (IHCS (OC)) assess the elderly persons waitlisted for IHCS (OC) within their service areas, and provide elderly persons eligible for the Pilot Scheme with home-based community care and support services. Upon its completion in November 2020, the Pilot Scheme has been extended for 25 months until the end of December 2022.
  • Pilot Scheme on Support for Elderly Persons Discharged from Public Hospitals After Treatment
    Funded by the CCF, the three-year Pilot Scheme on Support for Elderly Persons Discharged from Public Hospitals after Treatment was launched in February 2018. Under a medical-social collaboration model, the Pilot Scheme supports elderly persons just discharged from public hospitals who are in need of transitional care and support by providing them with transitional residential care and/or community care and support services. It aims at enabling them to age in place in a familiar community and preventing their premature long-term admission to residential care homes for the elderly. The Pilot Scheme has been extended for 32 months from February 2021 to the end of September 2023. It has been implemented under a new mode of operation starting from October 2021 and continues to be administered by SWD.

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