Survey urges stronger collaboration to improve elderly care system

Macau’s Economic and Livelihood Alliance is urging the government, academia, civil society, and the media to work together on building a more comprehensive elderly care system, after new research highlighted gaps in housing, services, and cross-border support for the city’s aging population.

According to the alliance, its four major policy recommendations to the government include promoting the integration of smart elderly care services through a comprehensive service model that encompasses data tracking, telemedicine, and community support.

Additionally, it calls for optimizing housing policies by developing “housing-for-pension” schemes and reforming the housing provident fund system.

The alliance also advocates for advancing financial reforms for elderly care, including voucher systems and cross-border financial collaboration, while emphasizing the necessity of enhancing coordination within the cross-border elderly care system to improve resource sharing in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.

Regarding policy measures for elderly care and housing in Macau, the alliance recently conducted forward-looking research targeting residents aged 45 and above.

The study gathered 1,023 valid responses through questionnaires and in-depth interviews focused on three key areas: elderly care services, housing security, and cross-border elderly care.

Research findings indicate that only 14.9% of respondents expressed willingness to reside in government-operated senior apartments, while 35.9% stated their decision would depend on the fees charged.

Key requirements for elderly housing units include 24-hour medical support, convenient transportation, recreational activities, catering services, and community social spaces.

“This suggests a latent demand among Macau’s elderly for community-based and smart elderly care services, although utilization rates remain low, with many maintaining a wait-and-see attitude toward related policies,” the alliance noted.

The study also revealed that only 16% of respondents showed a clear willingness to pursue cross-border elderly care, citing financial burdens, transportation inconvenience, and lack of alignment in medical insurance systems as primary barriers.

According to the findings, most respondents owned their homes, with income primarily derived from wages and pensions.

Notably, over 52% of respondents had never utilized any elderly care services, indicating significant room for improvement in service penetration. Furthermore, more than half of elderly residents’ homes had not undergone age-friendly modifications, underscoring housing safety and accessibility as critical future policy priorities for elderly services.

Gov’t moves to digitize services

The Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) previously stated in its response to a written inquiry from legislator Ho Ion Sang that it is progressively conducting surveys and registrations of elderly individuals living alone and in dual-elderly households.

Additionally, it is gradually implementing the digitization of social service facilities to develop district-level databases and optimize the service configuration of the “home-based elderly care” system, including the Peng On Tung emergency assistance service.

“This initiative aims to progressively achieve the digitization and smart transformation of social service facilities,” the bureau stated.