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Hong Kong will expand its elderly care services and cross-boundary medical options while introducing a pilot scheme for foreign domestic carers and a digital JoyYou Card, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in his Policy Address.
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The government will increase Community Care Service Vouchers by 2,000 to 18,000 in the 2027-28 financial year. Operating on a “money-following-the-user” and “affordable users pay” model, the voucher scheme directly subsidizes eligible seniors to freely choose and adjust mixed day-care and home-care services based on their financial needs.
The Residential Care Service Vouchers will also expand by 1,000 to 8,000. The scheme will help eligible elderly people move into approved private or contract residential care homes without having to wait long for traditional subsidised places.
Authorities will also establish five new subsidized day-care facilities offering 200 service places, five new Neighbourhood Elderly Centres serving 5,000 seniors annually, and three new residential care homes (RCHEs) for the elderly providing 400 places.
In addition, government RCHE premises will be offered for self-financed operation on a pilot basis, alongside additional resources for subvented RCHEs to provide end-of-life care.
The government also plans to explore extending service points under the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme to cover community health centers operated by participating institutions, while adding new medical facilities to the scheme.
Meanwhile, the Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong will continue to expand beyond its current network of 29 participating homes, which currently host over 1,400 Hong Kong seniors.
To meet home care demand, a pilot scheme will be launched to import foreign domestic carers with advanced training and experience in elderly care, structured similarly to the existing foreign domestic helper system.
The Labour and Welfare Bureau will also collaborate with Octopus Cards Limited to introduce a mobile version of the JoyYou Card, allowing seniors to enjoy the HK$2 flat rate or 80 percent concession fare without carrying a physical card.
A HK$100 million Gerotechnology Promotion Scheme will support local technology firms in developing elderly-care solutions. A Hong Kong Housing Authority pilot will deploy household gerotechnology for elderly singletons and households with all members elderly in public housing estates.
The government will also introduce a three-year “Young-Old Mentorship Programme” to foster active ageing and community integration among vibrant seniors.
