The Labour & Welfare Bureau and the Elderly Commission will jointly launch a new district-based scheme to support activities to boost care for seniors and prevent abuse through neighbourhood support networks.

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Matthew Cheung said studies indicate the most effective way to prevent elderly abuse is to use the comprehensive and diversified support networks built within the community.

Under the Pilot Neighbourhood Active Ageing Project - Caring for Elders, 18 pilot projects will be implemented through cross-sectoral collaboration throughout the city. Based on the need and characteristics of each district, social welfare officers will co-ordinate the participation of suitable organisations in the scheme in the current and coming financial years.

Project details

With a $2 million budget, each project will receive up to $100,000 to conduct programmes to tackle elder abuse through a three-pronged approach, namely education, prevention and support.

On community education, activities will be jointly run by project operators and community organisations to boost inter-generational integration and harmonious families. The Elder Academies will also encourage their students and families to care for each other.

To prevent elder abuse, elderly caring groups will be formed with trained elderly volunteers or recovered abuse victims. Accompanied by social workers, elderly caring group members visit the elderly and provide support and counselling services.

"We believe the volunteers can do better in reaching out to their peers who are unsociable and do not know where to seek help. The recovered victims can also tell from their experience how violence or ill-treatment cannot solve problems, and thus help those in need to rebuild relationships with their families," Mr Cheung said.