According to a statement by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) on Sunday, the government plans to set up, in collaboration with the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (FAOM) (commonly known as Gung Luen in Cantonese), a support centre for carers in the peninsula’s northern district, as a new pilot site for support services for carers.
The announcement follows last Tuesday’s domestic incident of attempted suicide by an elderly resident instigated by his son, the statement said. The bureau said it immediately activated its follow-up mechanism, arranging for social workers to contact the affected family and provide counselling and support services, while working with relevant social service organisations to assess the family’s needs.
In order to strengthen support for senior citizens and carers, the bureau met with four social service organisations and their home care service teams on Friday to review existing support mechanisms, the statement said, noting that the discussions focused on improving carer support services, enhancing the identification of high-risk cases and strengthening proactive intervention to provide earlier and more targeted assistance.
According to the statement, the new centre will provide caregiving skills training, emotional support, case follow-up and a range of other support services tailored for Macau’s ageing population. The authorities aim to bring the centre into operation later this year and gradually expand the model to other districts based on the pilot programme’s experience, the statement noted.
The government also plans to establish an additional elderly community service team dedicated to supporting senior citizens living alone, with the aim of improving outreach and identifying elderly residents, carers and households comprising two senior citizens requiring assistance, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Health Bureau (SSM) said it has also reviewed its ICOPE (Integrated Care for Older People) assessment data following last Tuesday’s incident to identify elderly residents showing symptoms of depression, those with psychiatric consultation records or those previously assessed as being at risk of suicide. The Health Bureau will strengthen cooperation with social service teams to provide appropriate support for those individuals and their families.
The government urged residents to pay attention to the mental well-being of relatives, neighbours and carers who may be experiencing emotional distress, persistent stress or thoughts of self-harm, and encouraged those in need to seek professional help as early as possible, the statement noted, adding that the authorities will continue adopting an interdepartmental approach to strengthen support services for elderly residents and carers while enhancing the identification and follow-up of high-risk cases.
This image downloaded from the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) yesterday shows its logo.
