The chairman of the Elderly Services Association, Kenneth Chan, said that many care homes have reduced the number of outside assistants hired to accompany elderly people from care homes to hospitals to reduce the risk of cross-infection, RTHK reports. Chan's comments come after health authorities confirmed on Tuesday that one of the recently-confirmed patients was a female caretaker who accompanied at least six elderly people from a number of care homes to visit hospitals. He said that demand for these caretakers is high as care homes are often short on manpower, and these caretakers often work for companies that provide services to care homes and hospitals such as making sure elderly patients get to hospitals for appointments. He told an RTHK radio program that it is common for these caretakers to serve multiple care homes, and some care homes have reduced the number of caretakers hired externally, by allowing their own staff to accompany elderly residents to hospitals. He said hospitals will also require those accompanying the elderly to wear protective clothing.

Source: The Standard July 23, 2020 04:18 UTC