Nine carer centers and assessment tools will be set up across districts under a Hong Kong Jockey Club five-year project to build a platform for carers and help them connect to community resources to support their needs.
The Jockey Club Carer Space Project is funded by the club's charities trust with a HK$290 million donation.
"The five-year project is anticipated to benefit more than 27,000 carers and 15,000 care recipients," Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, the project's advisory committee convenor, said.
Two of the nine carer centers, located in Sai Wan Ho and Kwai Fong, have opened, with the others in Shek Kip Mei, Tai Wai, Ma On Shan, Fanling, Sham Shui Po, Tsing Yi and Sheung Shui starting operations from next month.
Nip said convenience for both carers and recipients will be prioritized as much as possible, when selecting the locations of the centers.
"The locations will cover public housing estates, private buildings, shop houses and office buildings, and services will be provided in both middle-class and elder-populated areas," he said.
The centers will be run by Caritas Hong Kong, Hong Kong Federation of Women's Centres and three more non-governmental organizations to assist them in planning their caregiving journey and offering counseling services and temporary care services.
Nip said carers can also share their experiences and provide mutual support to fellow carers in the centers.
He also said most of the center's services are free, except the four-hour temporary care service, which will cost HK$30 per session, but an allowance will be offered for those who have financial difficulties.
The club will consider increasing the number of centers, which could become a hub that connects with other service providers within the community, such as elderly centers, social welfare organizations, and care teams.
Vivian Lou Wei-qun, the project's principal investigator, said an assessment tool was developed to help carers gain a deeper sense of their own needs, encouraging them to seek timely assistance.
Lou said the assessment contains 11 indicators and will identify the carers into four categories.
If the first three indicators are met, including aggressive speech or behavior of the care recipient, thoughts of harming themselves or others, and conflicts with their clients, they would be classified as having "high care needs" and referred for follow-up such as temporary care services, she said.
She said this will allow the sector to identify high-risk families early on.
Lou also urged carers to seek help to assist the sector in identifying high-risk families early so intervention can be provided appropriately.