A series of measures have been taken in Hong Kong to address the
special needs of elders in the fight against Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a government official said Thursday.
Assistant Director of Health Chan Wai-man said that ever since the
outbreak of the SARS, the Department of Health (DH) has been
working closely with the Social Welfare Department in offering
various kinds of assistance to the elderly.
Up
to now, 1,297 people were affected with the SARS in Hong Kong and
about 10 percent of the patients are elders, who are medically
subject to death with the killer virus.
In
order to provide health information to elders, DH has been
conducting lots of health talks with emphasis on personal and
environmental hygiene for over 20,000 elders and their carers since
the outbreak of the disease in March, Chan Wai-man said.
DH
also mapped out guidelines for people who may visit elders in their
homes.
Elders are advised to take precautions while cleaning their
households to prevent fall or strain to their bodies. Those with
chronic diseases are reminded to continue with their prescribed
medicines and not to delay treatment.
Chan appealed to the community to show more concern for elders to
make use of the DH hotlines in case of need.
Noting that about 10 percent of the patients with SARS are elderly
people, Chan said that there is no cause for panic among elders as
they are not at particular high risk of contracting SARS than
people of other age groups.
(Xinhua News Agency April 18, 2003)