Hong Kong urged to use technology to identify, support at-risk elderly residents
Gaps in city’s social safety net highlighted following discovery of elderly woman’s skeletal remains, the second case in three months
Hong Kong authorities should make better use of technology to identify and support elderly residents living alone or only with a spouse, experts have said, following two recent cases in which skeletal remains were found in public housing.
Lawmakers also highlighted gaps in the city’s social safety net for high-risk elderly people on Thursday, urging the government to expand support schemes as soon as possible to cover needy residents, with priority given to those in ageing districts.
On Wednesday, the skeletal remains of a 77-year-old woman were found in her home in Shing Yat House in Kwai Shing East Estate – the second such discovery in three months in a public flat in Kwai Tsing district.
In the same district in May, police received a report from a Housing Department employee who found the remains of an 83-year-old man in a flat at Shek Lei (I) Estate.
Dr Lam Ching-choi, a member of the city’s key decision-making Executive Council, emphasised the need for Hong Kong to better utilise technology to monitor at-risk older residents and offer timely support.
“Using gerontology to track the elderly is a major trend … I think we can integrate such services and make good use of technology to help older people living alone or with their spouse only,” said Lam, a former chairman of the Elderly Commission.