'More support needed for carers in subdivided homes'

Scholars on Tuesday called on the government to offer more support for people who look after children or elderly relatives while living in subdivided housing. In a survey conducted by Lingnan University and Chinese University, 95 percent of the 315 caregivers surveyed, who live in subdivided homes, were found to be stressed out, while 20.5 percent of respondents exhibited signs of depression. Speaking at a press conference, Ruby Lai from Lingnan University's Department of Sociology and Social Policy said caregivers had been struggling with stress from the unsuitable living conditions, expensive rents and excessive workloads. "What we see is that there are many spatial constraints at home, like there's no separations of kitchen and toilet, or there's no independent cooking place, so that they have to set up a makeshift cooking space for them to cook every time and then to pack up all the things to leave this space for their children to do homework," she explained. Lai called on the government to ensure better quality of life for caregivers living in such conditions. She also called on authorities to roll out cash subsidies to relieve the stress faced by caregivers in subdivided housing, and strengthen community support.