Elderly call for more subsidies as gov’t plans support system

The public consultation on the Support System for the Elderly kicked off on Friday

The public consultation for a decade-long action plan which seeks to establish a Support System for the Elderly kicked off on Friday as the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) held two briefing sessions, one addressing elderly citizens and the other addressing the general public.
The elderly hope to be granted more subsidies, especially for healthcare, and demand public buses and bus stops be properly equipped to ease their mobility, Radio Macau reported.
Some participants at Friday’s briefing said communication with government departments failed at times. They argued that public officials do not communicate well with the elderly community.
The president of the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS), Iong Kong Io, acknowledged the difficulty of estimating the overall budget or figures on human resources needed
to set the plan in motion.
“This is the first elderly support system implemented here. In the first two years, we will conduct a step-by-step assessment and provide an estimation on the budget and the exact number of human resources needed,” he told Radio Macau.
To cope with Macau’s aging society, the government set up an inter-departmental research group to develop an action plan focusing on four main categories: enhancing medical services; protecting the interests and rights of the elderly; ensuring elderly people’s social welfare and activity; and securing their living conditions.
The policy framework under development will serve as a basis for the government’s future policy-making strategies targeted at the elderly.
Macau has entered an “aging society” phase as 8.4 percent of the population last year was recorded to be aged 65 or older. The elderly will make up 16.3 percent of the total population by 2025, according to a research study conducted by the Policy Research Office.
The Public Consultation on the Protection System for the Elderly runs until September 12. The government has called on all residents to take part in the consultation by emailing ageing@ias.gov.mo or visiting the website http://www.ageing.ias.gov.mo/consult. Opinions can also be submitted via fax (28355161) or a 24-hour hotline recording system at 28357048. Residents can also hand in their opinions in writing at IAS or Social Welfare centers, among other public services. CP

IAS and neighborhood group demand greater focus on market potential of local seniors

The Macau General Union of the Neighborhood Associations urged local youth to explore the potential benefits of the senior market in the region, while the Social Welfare Bureau encouraged employment for the elderly within non-profit organizations.
During TDM’s weekly forum held yesterday morning, Lau Veng Si, the vice-president on the board of directors at the general union, advised the government to take the initiative to introduce the elderly demographic to local youth starting their own businesses. According to the bureau, the elderly population is estimated to surge to over 150,000 by 2036, suggesting that one in five people in the city will then be aged 65 or above. Lau described the phenomenon as a “direction [in which] to develop.”
Likewise, Choi Sio Un, who presided over the region’s social solidarity affairs at the bureau, said that the authorities would investigate the possibility of initiating non-­profit business units, the operations of which would be entrusted to local civil groups. Employment of elderly individuals would be made mandatory.
Choi also disclosed that a senior-care subvention scheme for low-income households was under consideration by the authorities and that the results of the deliberation would be available in 2018.
The government is currently seeking public opinion on its action plan and its mechanism framework for the region’s aged population. Staff reporter