HONG KONG, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Faced with the challenges of an ageing population like other developed economies, Hong Kong is expected to have more elders suffering from the Alzheimer's disease, a HK official said Wednesday.

    The Census and Statistics Department forecast the city's population of those aged 70 or above to reach 830,000 in 2019. Based on the current incidence rate of dementia, it is projected 77,000 people aged 70 or more will have the illness by 2019, said Matthew Cheung, the city's secretary for labor and welfare.

    To cope with the situation, the government has been allocating extra resources in recent years to enhance care services, including support for elders with dementia and their carers, Cheung said.

    "At present the government provides a range of subsidized care services for dementia patients with long-term care needs. These include residential care services, day care services and home- based care services. The waiting time is about 24 months, seven months and two months respectively," he said.

    Public spending on elderly services has grown from 1.62 billion HK dollars in 1997 to 3.98 billion HK dollars this financial year, up 145 percent, he added.

    A joint study by Hong Kong's Department of Health and the Chinese University in 2006 showed about 9.3 percent of people aged70 or more suffered from dementia. It is estimated 63,000 Hong Kong seniors are currently living with dementia.(7.76 HK dollars equal one U.S. dollar)