Emergency Placement for the Elderly
Eligibility Criteria
Elders aged 65 or above* who meet the basic criteria for admission to residential care homes for the elderly or nursing homes, conditions (f) and (g) below as well as one or more of conditions (a) to (e) below may be accepted for emergency placement:
- homeless without the prospect of immediate restoration to family; or
- evicted (or facing imminent eviction) from the accommodation for various reasons; or
- fit for discharge from hospital upon completion of medical treatment yet having difficulty in taking care of himself/herself or having no suitable caregivers; or
- in acute immediate need of alternative placement due to relationship problem at existing residence and in weak health to the extent that immediate removal/transfer is necessary to avoid risks to lives, such as elder abuse cases; or
- unavailability or inability of caregivers owing to acute unforeseeable crisis situation such as hospitalisation or imprisonment of caregivers or sudden deterioration of the elder's health condition which cannot be coped with by the caregivers and community support services with the result that the elder's continuous stay in his/her home will pose dangers to his/her health; and
- certified free from contagious diseases; and
- mentally fit for communal living and having no persistent tendency to violence, selfdestruction/ self-injury or disruptive behaviour.
* Persons aged between 60 and 64 may apply if there is a proven need.
Service Duration
The period of stay should not exceed three months, other than very exceptional circumstances for which the referring worker would have to provide justifications as well as a prospective discharge plan.
Emergency placement should not be taken as a solution to meeting the long-term placement needs of elders.
Application Procedures
Referrals for admission to emergency placement should be made by a social worker. Elderly persons or their families may approach casework service units (e.g. Integrated Family Service Centres, Medical Social Services Units) or elderly services centres who will assess the elder’s needs and make referrals to the residential care homes for the elderly or nursing homes concerned if considered suitable.
Service Fee
Elders occupying emergency placement are exempted from payment of service fees for the first three months of stay, in order to allow adequate time for arrangement of financial and other forms of assistance, if required. Full payment will start from the fourth month onwards for the services they receive, according to the standard monthly fees for the respective types of home.
