More than half of daycare centres for the elderly in Hong Kong suffer from serious staff shortages,
According to a survey by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) and the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing, which canvassed 55 daycare centres that together provide services for more than 3,200 elderly people, the shortfall affected the quality of service.
HKCSS chief executive Christine Fang says that on average, each elderly person occupies 2.6 square metres in these centres, while four centres share one occupational therapist or physiotherapist. The survey also reported that 98 per cent of the respondents found it challenging to care for physically fit elderly people with dementia.
Ethics make economic sense
Integrity has a tangible impact on corporate performance, a new survey shows. Findings from a study by the Corporate Executive Board (CEB), a research and advisory services firm, show that companies with weak ethical cultures experience 10 times more misconduct than those with higher standards.
The most effective preventative measures start from within the corporation, such as ensuring open communication between employees and managers and building trust in leadership.
"Operating in an ethical culture may seem like a given but, for many companies, creating one is an uphill battle," says CEB's Dan Currell. "In an ethical culture, employees feel comfortable voicing their concerns, and trust their colleagues will do the same. Leadership has to set a tone that inspires trust in their own ethics."
Based on a survey of about 500,000 employees in more than 85 countries, CEB found that corporate cultural integrity reduces employee misconduct and improves business performance. For example, companies with open communication deliver average shareholder returns that are 5 per cent higher than their peers, while managers who exhibit corporate values can improve employees' performance by 12 per cent.
Older women 'dependent'
More than one in four women in Britain are forced to rely on their husband's pension to see them through their old age,
Only 35 per cent of women said their own savings would provide their main source of income in retirement, while 28 per cent said they would rely on their partner's pension benefits.
A further 22 per cent of women surveyed said the state pension would support them through their old age, according to insurance company Prudential. The research also showed that 34 per cent of the women, who planned to rely on their husbands financially in retirement, admitted that they did not know the details of their partners' pension plans.
Women receive an average of £12,200 a year (HK$146,431) in retirement income compared with £19,600 for men. The survey questioned 1,172 people aged over 40 living with a partner during July.
