It is estimated that senior citizens will account for 15%
of the total Hong Kong population by 2016. With advancing age and
increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses, majority being frail and
vulnerable, continuous and rapid growth of long-term residential
care is expected. In public hospitals, elderly patients constitute a large
proportion of the patient load (over 50% of hospital admissions). To
ensure post-hospital discharge community care for the institutionalised
elderly, since 1999 the Hospital Authority has extended outreach
geriatric medical and nursing services to private aged homes (PAHs).
The underlying philosophy was that with empowerment of PAH
carers and better-coordinated preventive and extended care, health
outcomes of the elderly would be improved and burden on hospital
service utilisation alleviated. The present study was launched so as to
evaluate the effectiveness of such an extensive programme and provide
information for further improvement.

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