‘Nobody can bear it’: Hong Kong lawmakers, community advocate urge authorities to set up support centres citywide to deal with carer burnout
- Lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen says carer burden not related to socioeconomic status after suspected murder-suicide attempt in upscale neighbourhood
- ‘Such carers must provide care 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Nobody can bear it,’ he adds
Lawmakers and community advocates have called on authorities to set up support centres for carers across Hong Kong, as well as help identify those at high risk, following the latest suspected murder-suicide attempt involving two elderly people.
Social welfare sector lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen said on Friday the recent case in an upscale neighbourhood showed that the carer burden had nothing to do with socioeconomic status.
An 84-year-old man surnamed Cheng who suffered from dementia and muscular atrophy was found dead on Wednesday, while his wife, 71, was discovered injured and unconscious in the bedroom of their flat on Beacon Hill Road in Kowloon Tong after the alleged murder-suicide attempt.
The wife, who is suffering from depression and currently in a stable condition, has been charged with murder and is due to appear in court on Saturday.
“The stress and problems faced by carers have nothing to do with their socioeconomic status and may not even be related to their education level,” Tik told a radio programme, calling the recent case a “typical scenario” in which the carer and recipient were elderly.
