Hong Kong considers expanding priority care scheme to better flag high-risk cases

Hong Kong will consider expanding priority community care to include dementia patients and carers aged over 60 of people with severe disabilities, the city’s welfare chief has said, in a bid to better identify high-risk cases vulnerable to tragedy.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Sunday that authorities were actively reviewing the screening criteria used to identify high-risk elderly individuals.
The move follows a tragedy in which a 70-year-old man was found hanging in his Kwai Chung flat, while his 78-year-old wife was discovered unconscious in another room. She was later pronounced dead in hospital, while the man remained in critical condition as of Saturday night.
Sun said the couple had not been included in targeted visits or follow-up support by social workers, as Housing Authority records showed both were under 80.
He described caregiving for a spouse with dementia as “one of the most challenging” scenarios.
“I believe dementia must definitely be prioritised in our approach,” he said in a televised interview.
“We need to consult medical experts to determine which types of care create exceptionally high-stress environments so we can include them early.”
Sun added that authorities were also considering extending coverage to people aged between 60 and 79.
“They are considered the ‘young elderly’ but if their spouse suffers from a severe physical condition that requires long-term care, the risk naturally escalates,” he said.
Asked whether the scope could be expanded this year, Sun said the government would act “as soon as possible”.
The initiative, launched last year, uses an interdepartmental database to identify vulnerable older residents and “high-risk” households. It currently covers only those aged 80 or above who live alone or with a spouse.
Sun said the platform’s goal was to “stay ahead of the problem” but noted that the recent case involved elderly individuals who fell below the eligibility threshold.
“Data can help us uncover these cases, and as we continue to accumulate experience, we will definitely be able to create many different combinations,” he said.

“This is an ongoing process of continuous trial and error, with the ultimate goal of broadening the safety net as much as possible.”
Last month, a 77-year-old man was found hanging in a flat at Po Tat Estate, a public housing complex in Sau Mau Ping. His 71-year-old ex-wife was also found dead at the scene.
Police said the man was suspected of killing the woman before taking his life. He was believed to have felt “hopeless” following their separation after years of marital conflict, compounded by their son’s suicide.
Meanwhile, the government announced on Thursday that it would no longer define poverty solely in economic terms.
Instead, it will adopt a new 21-indicator framework to better target support for those in need. Officials said the previous measure had overestimated the number of underprivileged people by failing to account for billions of dollars in public spending on housing and healthcare.
Sun defended the new approach, despite criticism that it makes it harder to assess the city’s overall poverty situation objectively.
He said relying solely on relative income measures had clear limitations, including ignoring assets and non-cash government subsidies.
“This includes distortions. Even if you come up with a statistic, you can’t tell who is poor, why they are poor, or in what aspects they are poor,” he said, adding that 57 per cent of elderly-only households own their property outright.
Sun also rejected claims that the government has refused to set a poverty line to avoid putting a figure on the number of people living in poverty.
He said authorities were addressing the issue through targeted poverty alleviation measures, adding that a second report on such efforts would be published within three years.
“Only when you examine the specific group do you know what they actually need,” he said, citing examples such as after-school care, community living rooms and opportunities for upward mobility for children living in subdivided flats.
“If you purely use a single figure or income level for calculation, it becomes very vague.”
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline.
You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.