HONG KONG - Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu visited Eastern district on Saturday to gather public views on his upcoming Policy Address, with a primary focus on the well-being of and support for elderly residents.

Accompanied by other Hong Kong Special Administrative Region officials, he began his visit at Oi Tung Estate, calling on elderly residents living alone to learned about their daily lives, as well as the support provided by the District Services and Community Care Teams.

Lee noted that the District Services and Community Care Teams Scheme on Supporting the Elderly and Carers has been extended to cover the entire special administrative region. Under the program, care teams help identify singleton and doubleton elderly persons, as well as carers of elderly individuals and people with disabilities in need, providing them with tailored care and support services, he said.

While visiting the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Fong Shu Chuen Social Service Building, Lee interacted with elderly users of the services and learned about how they use gerontechnology and silver products to enhance their quality of life.

“The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has been actively encouraging elderly service units and the elderly to harness gerontechnology,” he said, adding that this included support through the Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care, which subsidizes elderly and rehabilitation service units in using technological products to improve the lives of service users and reduce the pressure on nursing staff and carers.

Lee also reiterated that the government has been adopting a multi-pronged approach to strengthen elderly care services, such as increasing the number of residential care service vouchers, as well as community care service vouchers for the elderly, as of April this year, and expanding the Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong province.

The chief executive and officials also toured the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence, where they toured the exhibition titled Standing Together for Peacebuilding: Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the War of Resistance in Guangdong and Hong Kong.

Noting that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Lee said the government’s Working Group on Patriotic Education is coordinating a series of commemorative events to foster a correct understanding of history among the younger generation, and nurture them into future pillars of society who can contribute to the development of Hong Kong and the nation.

Lee announced last week he will deliver his fourth Policy Address on Sept 17. It has been brought forward to September, a month earlier than normal as the Legislative Council general election is due to be held at the end of the year and the current Legislative Council's term would end early.