New nursing home for Ilha Verde amid shortage of caregivers

Caritas Macau announced on the weekend a new nursing home for around 185 elderly residents will open in Ilha Verde this December. The charity is preparing to hire over 100 staff in two phases to operate the new facility.

According to Paul Pun, secretary general of Caritas Macau, the new nursing home will be located beside the organization’s service center that offers training programs for caregivers, as cited in a TDM report.

Pun believes this proximity will strengthen the training process.

“We will soon have a new elder home next door. So this new home would be able to do some supporting work with this training program,” Pun said.

“And because this is a service center and just leave the elder home, we can strengthen the training process. Not just teaching with videos and talks, but hopefully we have some sharing from the elderly next door for them to know what would be better,” he added.

The official said the new nursing home has already appointed a director.

He made these comments while speaking at the graduation ceremony for Caritas’ caregiver training program, where about 12 caregivers received certificates for successfully completing the course.

The new nursing home will care for 185 elderly residents, while also serving as a practical training site near Caritas’ center.

Trainees can interact with residents and gain hands-on experience, strengthening skills beyond the classroom. This allows trainees to provide high-quality compassionate care for seniors.

A previous Times report noted elderly care facilities and local families caring for seniors are facing significant difficulties due to a shortage of local caregivers.

Pun told the Times that 24-hour support for the elderly, particularly those who are bedridden and frail, is one of the most sought-after services offered by Caritas, which operates several dozens of social service programs.

However, the institution acknowledges its ongoing struggle to provide for and accommodate families requesting assistance due to a severe lack of manpower.

Fresh data from the government shows the elderly dependency ratio for the local population rose by 1.7 percentage points to 24.8%, equivalent to about four adults supporting one older adult.

In 2023, the elderly population exceeded the young population for the first time, being 106.1%. Victoria Chan