Hong Kong authorities are considering expanding the city’s home visit scheme to cover “young elderly” aged between 60 and 80 who care for chronically ill individuals after a recent tragedy involving a senior carer, the city’s welfare chief has said. Elderly in Hong Kong. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Speaking on a televised programme on Sunday, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said the city’s current home visit scheme, which covers those aged 80 or above living in public housing, may be expanded to assist high-risk families involving patients with chronic illness.
“My initial thoughts would be to cover those aged from 60 to 79. This group are young elderly, but if one of the couple has some serious conditions and require long-term care, then certainly this family is at higher risk,” he said in Cantonese.
Sun’s remarks came after a woman reported to police last week that her 70-year-old stepfather attempted to hang himself at home while her 78-year-old mother was found lying on bed with her head covered with a blanket. The pair were rushed to hospital unconscious, and the elderly woman was later pronounced dead, according to local media reports. Speaking to reporters after the programme, Sun said authorities will utilise big data across government departments and the Hospital Authority to identify elderly couples consisting of a long-term patient and a carer.
Sun said elderly patients with dementia and their carer may be considered more at risk, but added that the government will discuss with the Hospital Authority to decide on the types of patients that should receive earlier intervention. Hong Kong Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun attends the first meeting of the eighth Legislative Council (LegCo) on January 14, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “We will discuss with the Hospital Authority and look at the data. Hopefully we can identify them and pay a visit to them as early as possible,” he said, adding that such cases will be referred to social workers upon discovery.
“Our strategy is to construct a denser support and intervention network,” he added.
The phenomenon of “elderly taking care of elderly” has raised concerns over the city’s support toward its senior population following a string of tragedies involving elderly carers.
In 2024, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, an NGO, found that 80 per cent of the city’s caregivers are aged 60 or above , with over half aged 70 or older.
Around 80 per cent said they had suffered stress due to caregiving, while about 40 per cent had to provide care for at least eight hours a day, the NGO said.
The city of 7.5 million has an ageing population, with the proportion of those aged 65 or above expected to climb from 21 per cent in 2021 to 36 per cent in 2046, according to official figures .