'Care teams visiting mechanisms to be reviewed'

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun on Sunday said the government plans to review the visiting mechanisms of the city's care teams and optimise the application of big data, including adding parameters such as chronic illnesses, to better identify elderly people in need.

His remarks came after an elderly couple was found unconscious in Lai King Estate on Friday, with the 78-year-old woman certified dead at the hospital.

The couple was not visited by the care teams since they were below 80 years of age.

"Since we are now in the era of big data and have many tools at our disposal, we want to identify high-risk families in need as early as possible so that timely assistance can be provided," Sun told the press after a TVB programme.

"For households where the elderly individuals are under 80 years old, but one of them has a chronic illness and requires more care, we will discuss with the Hospital Authority to determine which specific illnesses should be selected.

"However, from what I can see initially, we all know that taking care of a partner with dementia is exceptionally difficult. I believe we should prioritise cases involving dementia, especially those that have progressed to a moderate or severe stage.

"That said, we still need to consult experts regarding other illnesses. We hope to establish a suitable model as soon as possible for implementation."

Sun said he anticipates the visit list would be expanded to include elderly people aged between 60 and 79 years of age.

Following an impact report released on Thursday — which declared that all key performance indicators for the three flagship targeted poverty alleviation initiatives had been met or exceeded — Sun noted the next report would be released three years later.

Edited by Tony Sabine ...