Elderly left behind in Hong Kong as families emigrate get help from charities
- Nearly 90,000 people left Hong Kong in 12 months, most under 55 years old. Some have left behind parents and grandparents who will need help as they get older
- New and existing charities have programmes planned or in place to meet the specific health, social and care needs of this group of older Hongkongers
Welfare organisations in Hong Kong are working on initiatives to support senior citizens whose children have emigrated in the city’s recent exodus.
The Census and Statistics Department found in mid-August that 89,200 Hong Kong residents had left the city in the past year. A breakdown of the numbers by age group showed that the people who have left are predominantly younger; 89 per cent of those who have left are aged between 15 and 55. In contrast, only 4.2 per cent were over 65.
“The numbers show that people who have left the city are disproportionately young, and that the elderly in Hong Kong will be left behind,” says Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, professor of social work and social administration at the University of Hong Kong.
While resources to help senior citizens already exist, a recent non-profit organisation, Silvermorph Charity, plans to run a pilot project that particularly caters for the elderly parents of younger emigrants.
