Members’ Motion: “Building an elderly-friendly living environment”
Deputy President, I speak in support of the original motion proposed by Mr Frankie YICK and all the amendments. The ageing population in Hong Kong is a growing issue, and the elderly policy has been discussed many times in this Council; the Government must take proactive measures to address this challenge.
Nowadays, most elderly people prefer to age at home and, even if their health deteriorates, they still wish to remain in their familiar communities. The safety, convenience, and inclusiveness of the community and living environment are vital for enhancing the quality of life of the elderly. In terms of community healthcare services, apart from District Health Centres, there are Elderly Health Centres in all 18 districts across Hong Kong, which provide services such as health check-ups and treatments for their members. However, the waiting time to become a member is excessively long. As of May, the 18 health centres were still processing applications submitted in 2023 or earlier, and the current processing speed is clearly insufficient to meet the actual demand. The processing speed should be accelerated and resource allocation should be strengthened, so that the elderly can access services near their homes.
To create a safer and more accommodating living environment, the Government launched the “Well-being design” guide for public housing last year. This includes features such as leaning benches in elevators and seats and handrails of various heights in lobbies, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to promoting elderly-friendly spaces and the progress made. However, approximately 40% of elderly people in Hong Kong live in private buildings, most of which they moved into during their youth. As they age and their physical abilities decline, the designs of these private housing may no longer adequately consider their needs. For example, narrow doorways can impede the passage of wheelchairs or walking frames, while the absence of handrails in bathrooms and inadequate non-slip flooring can increase the risk of accidents for the elderly at home.
The Government plans to make it mandatory for private buildings to adopt “elderly-friendly” designs through legislation. It will also launch an Elderly-friendly Building accreditation scheme that provides incentives, such as gross floor area concessions, to encourage developers to build more suitable housing for the elderly. Given the rapid pace of ageing, I hope these measures can be implemented swiftly. Meanwhile, as some elderly people have limited financial resources, I suggest that the Government launch a “home safety improvement subsidy scheme” to provide financial assistance to those elderly people in need for carrying out minor improvement works, such as installing handrails, widening or removing bathroom door thresholds, and converting bathtubs into showers.
Regarding making commuting more elderly-friendly, the Transport Department has installed smart devices at some pedestrian traffic signal poles since 2018. Elderly holding the JoyYou Card can extend the duration of the green light by tapping their card, which gives them more time to cross the road and reduces the risk of accidents. However, with only 21 locations in Hong Kong currently equipped with these devices, the situation is far from ideal. It is essential for the Government to further review hotspots for elderly commuters and increase the number of devices as soon as possible.
Moreover, commercial districts have long lacked seating benches, possibly for the sake of maintaining a pleasant-looking environment. Urban planning should address the physical needs of the elderly comprehensively, and I hope the Government will provide additional leisure facilities appropriate for the elderly in areas with high pedestrian flow or commercial centres to enhance the overall commuting experience for the elderly and improve community friendliness.
In terms of developing the silver economy, the Government announced 11 measures to boost silver consumption in May. For example, the retail sector will provide retail concessions to the elderly, and the Consumer Council will enhance information on silver consumption. While many local merchants already offer concessions to the elderly, the absence of government-led and integrated promotion in the past has meant that the approach has been fragmented. Consequently, many elderly people have been unable to benefit from these concessions due to fragmented information. I suggest that the Government introduce an elderly-friendly merchant scheme, establishing a certification system to encourage merchants to commit to providing clear concessions. In addition, designing “elderly-friendly logos” for certified merchants would enable the elderly to easily identify them, facilitating informed consumption decisions and fostering a more elderly-friendly shopping environment.
Deputy President, building an elderly-friendly city and promoting silver economic activities is a long-term and complex task. It requires the joint efforts of the Government, society, enterprises and individuals to create synergy in terms of medical convenience, home comfort, commuting friendliness and consumer concessions. Only then can we truly meet the daily needs of the elderly, enhance their happiness, and realize the vision of a city where people can “age in harmony”.
I so submit.