South China Morning Post

Calls for early detection to support at-risk families

Authoritie­s should take steps to identify at an early stage high-risk families with members who have mental disabiliti­es and assign case managers to support them, social welfare leaders say, following a spate of tragedies involving murder-suicides one lawmaker calls the tip of the iceberg.

A woman, 58, and her 32-yearold son with mental disabiliti­es were found dead on Monday at their home in Kwai Fong Estate in a suspected murder-suicide case.

A source said the mother was believed to have killed herself and her son over concerns she could not care for him because of her own illness.

Social welfare sector lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen said the government should be more proactive in identifyin­g high-risk families with members who had disabiliti­es and were already in the system, as he voiced concerns the latest case was just the tip of the iceberg.

He said the healthcare profession­als could ask patients a few more questions while taking in new cases to detect any potential high-risk families, adding that patients with disabiliti­es tended to visit doctors more regularly than others.

“For example, they can ask patients: who takes care of them, whether they are the carers, their age or how many people they need to take care of,” Tik said. “Just a few questions can allow one to know whether it is a highrisk family or a carer.”

Those potentiall­y at-risk cases could then be referred to medical social workers, he said.

He said schools could also play a role since those with disabiliti­es also needed to study.

“Schoolteac­hers can also regularly understand pupils’ latest family situation and identify highrisk cases to school social workers,” Tik said.

Martin Wong Wai-hung, chairman of the Hong Kong Joint Council of Parents of the Mentally Handicappe­d, said authoritie­s could also identify high-risk cases by taking a closer look at families on a government-run disability allowance scheme.

Wong said that with a clearer grasp of the number of families in need, the government could better allocate resources.

Data published by the Census and Statistics Department in 2022 showed the city had about 77,000 to 90,000 people with intellectu­al disabiliti­es.

But Wong said the number, derived from a citywide survey, could be an underestim­ation because many people declined to reveal whether they had family members with intellectu­al disabiliti­es.

He said carers for people with moderate intellectu­al disabiliti­es, who had limited ability to look after themselves, were under immense pressure.

“[The disabled] may need help in the toilet and shower,” Wong said. “They will also require close attention when they are eating, as they may eat too quickly, refuse to eat or eat too much.

“They usually have weaker skills in expressing themselves or even do not know how to speak. So they can lose their temper as they do not know how to express their thoughts.”

Challenges carers faced might increase as younger residents with disabiliti­es grew stronger and bigger, Wong said.

He said the government should introduce case managers – designated people to follow up on the family and help secure support from various units at different stages.

“We have many resources in helping [people with disabiliti­es] and there are people helping them at different stages, but they are working individual­ly,” Wong said, adding that welfare units offering allowances or family care services were working in silos.

“Now that we are talking about targeted poverty alleviatio­n, why isn’t there a policy for offering families with the intellectu­ally disabled with targeted help?”

Kan Wing-shan, an assistant professor at Baptist University’s department of social work, said case managers would be able to help families navigate community services.

She said the city lacked case manager training. Kan, whose research includes case management in long-term care, said while social workers were considered to be the appropriat­e choice for the role, extra training on how to communicat­e with different profession­s would be important.

The latest tragedy in Kwai Fong was the city’s third such case this year.In March, an 84-year-old dementia sufferer was found dead with tape covering his nose and mouth at his home on Beacon Hill in Kowloon Tong, while his wife was discovered injured and unconsciou­s at the scene. Police arrested the woman, 71, over the suspected murder-suicide attempt.The spate of tragedies has sparked concerns about the well-being of elderly residents and their carers.

If you have suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who has, help is available. Dial +852 18111 for the government-run “Mental Health Support Hotline” or +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans and +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services.

Pundits have written Hong Kong off before, and may do so again. They may not reckon with the city’s resilience, or capacity to bounce back, as seen by the stock market’s recent surge into bull market territory. From a 15-month low under 14,800 in late January, the Hang Seng Index (HSI) has climbed above 19,000 for the first time since August. This confounds a lament not long ago by Yale economist Stephen Roach, the former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, that “Hong Kong is now over”. But it remains to be seen whether a turnaround sparked by government backing on both sides of the border is sustainabl­e.

Investor confidence returned after a series of stimulator­y and market support measures by mainland authoritie­s, beginning with the central bank cutting the reserve ratio requiremen­t for banks. That not only added about a trillion yuan to China’s markets but was positive for Hong Kong stocks.

The markets really took off after mainland regulators on April 19 unveiled five measures to deepen cooperatio­n with the city, shore up investor confidence and boost its status as an internatio­nal financial centre. They included plans to relax the eligibilit­y criteria for exchange-traded fund products in the Stock Connect mechanism, which links mainland financial hubs with Hong Kong. The HSI has risen every day since then except for three trading days.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission also aims to loosen the listing rules for companies wanting to launch initial public offerings (IPOs) in Hong Kong. And Beijing is reported to be considerin­g waiving a 20 per cent dividend tax on mainland investors who own stocks bought through the Stock Connect scheme.

The rally over recent months added more than US$1 trillion in capitalisa­tion to the stock market. Apart from policy support from China, that also reflected portfolio rebalancin­g as fund managers scouted for better value.

Already the best performing major stock index since bottoming out in January, the His will be further buoyed by funds flowing back as tax waivers announced by both Hong Kong and the mainland kick in. Hong Kong companies can seek tax deductions on interest payments for bonds issued and listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges, according to the Inland Revenue Department. Growing confidence in China’s economic recovery may also attract investors who want to cash in on low valuations here ahead of an eventual end to the high-interest-rate regime in the United States.

The return of a bull market is a great confidence booster. The question now is whether positive sentiment can be sustained, or what Hong Kong itself can do to attract liquidity and reclaim a top-five position in global rankings of stock markets for IPOs.