Lawmakers call for pension reform, age-friendly housing to address aging population

Lawmakers urged the government to step up coordinated, cross-departmental action to tackle Macau’s aging population and low birth rate.

They put forward a series of proposals, including age-friendly home modifications, pension reform, silver economy development, and expanded telemedicine support, during pre-agenda speeches yesterday, to advance the policy goal of “ensuring the elderly are supported, engaged, and fulfilled.”

“We hope the government will pursue urban renewal, actively implement old district redevelopment, and continuously improve Macau’s living and community-supporting environment to enhance the city’s overall livability,” lawmaker Leong Hong Sai said.

The lawmaker pointed out that Macau is facing the dual structural challenges of a declining birth rate and an aging population, while local employment security and coordinated industrial-livelihood development remain core priorities for social governance and livelihood construction.

He urged authorities to continuously improve childcare subsidies, study extending benefits to the preschool stage, expand the scope of full subsidies for assisted reproductive medical treatment, and make use of urban renewal opportunities and idle land resources to establish public nurseries, temporary daycare, and emergency childcare services –  addressing the core difficulty faced by dual-income families with no one to care for their children.

On aging, he suggested expanding local elderly care infrastructure, improving facilities in older districts, and enhancing day care centers, home-based medical care, meal delivery, and rehabilitation services to implement the “aging in place” policy.

He also called for full cross-border connectivity between social security and healthcare systems, and the improvement of dedicated elderly community services in Hengqin. At the same time, he urged that old-age pensions, senior citizen subsidies, and disability allowances be adjusted in line with social development to stabilize seniors’ basic living expenses.

Lawmaker Ho Iong Sang focused his remarks on the implementation of age-friendly home modifications and telemedicine support, pointing out that the proportion of residents aged 65 and above continues to rise, while the number of elderly living alone or in elderly-only households is increasing.

He acknowledged the government’s efforts in issuing the “Guidelines for Age-Friendly Home Modifications,” noting that the guidelines draw on mainland China’s experience and local accessibility standards. Divided into basic and advanced versions, they cover multiple spaces including entrances, living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms, emphasizing low-cost safety modifications and the application of smart technology.

However, Ho stressed: “Guidelines alone are far from sufficient to fully address the elderly’s care needs. Age-friendly modifications require close cooperation between the government, industry, associations, and families, translating into concrete measures and integrating smart elements with emerging services such as telemedicine to form a systematic support network.”

He suggested that the government draw on relevant long-term care policies from Hong Kong and Singapore, introducing dedicated subsidies or low-interest loans to ease the financial burden on elderly individuals and their families.

He also called for age-friendly design requirements to be incorporated into the design phase of new buildings, the promotion of product certification and market development, and the sharing of successful cases through community workshops and online virtual displays.

Separately, lawmaker Leong Sun Iok emphasized that population aging poses unprecedented challenges to social security, elderly care services, and healthcare systems. He urged the authorities to lower the threshold for activating pension adjustments to 2 or 2.5% as soon as possible, introduce a flexible mechanism, and study elderly consumption data to make adjustments more reflective of actual expenses.

He also called on the Social Security Fund (FSS) to actively explore new revenue sources to consolidate its financial foundation.

On economic development, Leong suggested integrating the “1+4” appropriate diversification strategy to promote deeper integration between the health industry and elderly care services, encouraging the development of gerontechnology, health monitoring devices, and age-friendly home modifications.

He noted that this would not only provide better services and products for the elderly but also cultivate new economic growth points for Macau.

He also expressed concern over mobility challenges faced by elderly residents in walk-up buildings, recommending measures to assist residents in installing stairlifts, accelerating age-friendly modifications to public spaces, and upholding the philosophy of “active aging and healthy aging” by encouraging seniors to continue participating in society.