Those seeking a place at a nursing home for the elderly need to be 65 years of age or older, according to the Social Welfare Department. They have to be assessed for their needs according to international standards through the Standardised Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services. This test establishes what level of care they require - and they have to be at least in need of some daily basic nursing care in order to qualify. Government-subsidised nursing homes provide accommodation for the elderly in shared rooms. They get at least three meals a day, 'plus snacks', and staff have to be on duty 24 hours a day. Besides providing healthcare, social work and rehabilitative - therapeutic exercise, for example - services, the home has to also organise activities that provide the elderly with contact with the local community. Despite Hong Kong's relatively high numbers of elderly people in homes, the majority are still cared for by their families - around 74 per cent, according to the Council of Social Service. The remainder either live alone or as couples, or in nursing homes. Only around 12 per cent continue to work. The majority - around 70 per cent, according to the council - of the city's elderly suffer from some kind of chronic health problem, such as diabetes or arthritis.