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Domestic helpers can learn elderly care skills such as
feeding, helping them take medicine and checking their
blood pressure in the training course
ing courses, says she has to take care scheme together with their domestic ngor proposed a series of elderly ser-
of Ms Yu’s family and her 87-year-old helpers. “Elderly have their own opin- vices programmes, aiming to achieve
mother. Wiri believes the certificate ions,” she says, “and domestic help- the target of “ageing in the place as
has given her recognition and she has ers cannot make their own decisions core, institutional care as back-up”. By
learned a lot from the lessons. “The since it depends on the preferences of “ageing-in-place”, the elderly are al-
in-class instructions are clear,” she the elderly.” She believes it is impor- lowed to choose to live and age in an
says, “[the trainers] teach us step by tant for the elderly and domestic help- environment they are familiar with
step.” ers to work together. and are attached to. With a limited
A total of 300 free training places supply of residential care services, for-
are provided. The scheme receives Ageing in place eign labour might be a solution for el-
overwhelming responses and Yu had According to the Census and Sta- derly care policies.
to queue in a waiting list for Wiri’s tistics Department, the Hong Kong
place. “Both my mother and my helper population is projected to be ageing New solution?
can learn something from the cours- with an increase of elderly aged 65 or Other than foreign domestic help-
es,” Yu suggested the organiser that over from 1.16 million (16.6 per cent ers, private foreign caregivers are also
employers should participate in the of the total population) in 2016 to 2.37 hired to take care of elderly at home
million (31.1 per cent) in in Hong Kong. They are usually regis-
2036. The projected in- tered nurses with a higher education
crease means greater de-
level and recognised qualifications.
mand for medical care Currently, most of the private foreign
services. caregivers in the market are from In-
Elderly have their own In light of the situa- donesia and the Philippines.
When they come to Hong Kong,
opinions, and domestic tion, the Chief Executive they stay with their own employ-
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-
helpers cannot make their
own decisions since it de- Number of elderly Percentage of the to-
tal population (%)
persons (million)
pends on the preferences of 2016 1.16 16.6
31.1
2036
2.37
the elderly 2066 2.59 36.6
Source: The Census and Statistics Department
