Leave the family out of the eligibility test for elderly aid

Hong Kong is a prosperous city with a per capita gross domestic product of HK$268,213 in 2011. Yet, in the middle of this great prosperity, we see the saddening sight of elderly people collecting waste paper and discarded items on the streets.

Who are they, and why do they do it? The Hong Kong Council of Social Service conducted a study of these elderly scavengers six years ago and found that more than 70 per cent of them did it because they needed the money. What we were astonished to find was that more than 40 per cent of them were living with their families.

Our study last year on deprivation among the elderly fleshed out these earlier findings. We found that nearly one-third of the elderly lived without financial support from their families. Of those living alone, 40 per cent were without family financial support. But even among those who continued to live with their family, 12.5 per cent of them received no financial support.

These elderly poor are among the most deprived in society: 85 per cent of them could not afford regular dental check-ups; 66 per cent of them did not have money to consult a private doctor in case of sudden sickness; some did not even have enough warm clothing in cold weather.

Obviously, their families are not providing them with anywhere near enough support. Yet government policies ignore this reality. They continue to reflect the conventional thinking that families should be responsible for helping their older members, at least financially.

Hence, application for aid is based on an eligibility means test that assesses household income and assets, not just those of the senior citizen concerned. Both the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance and the pilot scheme for community care service vouchers for the elderly work this way.

There are various reasons why families do not provide care for their elderly members. Some simply cannot afford to.