Emergency Placement

Introduction

Emergency placement is provided in some subvented care and attention homes and nursing homes to offer temporary or short-term residential care service for elderly person. It serves the objective of guarding the elderly against risks arising from lack of immediate care/accommodation until their next-of-kin are located for the elderly's restoration to families, or other alternatives are arranged.

Eligibility Criteria

Elderly persons aged 65 or above* who meet the basic criteria for admission to care and attention homes or nursing homes, conditions (f) below as well as one or more of conditions (a) to (e) below may be accepted for emergency placement:

1. homeless without the prospect of immediate restoration to family; or
2. evicted (or facing imminent eviction) from the accommodation for various reasons; or
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. fit for communal living and having no persistent tendency to violence, self-destruction/self-injury or disruptive behaviour.

                  * Persons aged between 60 and 64 may apply if there is a proven need.

Application Procedure

Referrals for admission to emergency placement should be made by a social worker. Elders or persons acting on behalf of the elders may approach casework service units (e.g. Integrated Family Service Centres / Integrated Services Centres, Medical Social Services Units) or Elderly Centres who will assess the elderly's needs and make referrals to the care and attention homes or nursing homes concerned if considered suitable.

You may click the link to "Vacancy Enquiry System for Respite Services/ Emergency Placement", for vacancy information of Emergency Places in subvented care and attention homes and subvented nursing homes.

For elderly persons or their families in urgent need of short-term residential care service during non-office hours, they may use the abovementioned Residential Respite Service for the Elderly (instead of Emergency Placement for the Elderly), and approach the private residential care homes for the elderly under the EBPS providing designated residential respite place for the arrangement. Non-office hours are (i) Monday to Saturday, from 5pm to 9am of the following day, and (ii) Sunday and Public Holidays, from 9am to 9am of the following day.

For any enquiry, please contact SWD Hotline at 2343 2255.

You may click the following icons for more information of the service: