Government plans to expand the SAR’s elder-care capacity are not developing fast enough for the city’s rapidly aging population, a prominent lawmaker says.
According to a report in the Macau Daily Times, a total of 3,600 residential care beds are planned for the city by 2028, but some calculations suggest about 4,000 beds will be required as soon as 2026. Lawmaker Lo Choi In says that as many as 5,200 beds will be needed by 2026 to align with the standard rate for developed countries – “far exceeding the government’s current expansion plans.”
The Times also noted the 2021 census had revealed that 5,226 elderly residents aged 65 and above had been unable to care for themselves at that time.
According to a 2021 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), there were an average of 46 residential care beds per 1,000 people aged 65 and over in member countries that year.
[See more: Caritas warns of a dire shortage of caregivers for Macao’s elderly]
Elderly people make up 14.6 percent of Macao’s current population, equating to almost 100,500 individuals. If the SAR was to meet the OECD average, it should have about 4,623 residential care beds now.
Lo meanwhile highlighted the struggle attracting foreign eldercare workers to Macao, citing wage constraints and rising salary levels in the mainland. “This makes it hard to maintain a stable workforce, leading to high turnover rates and potential declines in service quality.”
She called for the government to “offer incentives to develop its private elderly care sector” and increase financial support for care homes, the Times said.
Last month, president of the Holy House of Mercy António José de Freitas suggested parts of his organisation’s Home for the Elderly could be converted into a nursing home for high-needs residents to help boost the city’s supply of residential care beds.
