Older adults as caregivers in Hong Kong

Abstract

Along with many city and countries around the world, the age structure of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's population is shifting towards a greater proportion of older adults. In 1983, the aged population (65 years and above) reached 7% and this rate is expected to double to 14.4% by 2016, a relatively short period of 33 years. However, negative stereotypes of older adults are prevalent, particularly in societies such as Hong Kong. In addition to having low education and low literacy, most older adults lack retirement pensions, which reinforce negative images of them as non-productive and dependent. This paper considers the productive contributions of older persons in Hong Kong to family caregiving in three areas, namely, spousal caregiving, caregiving for adult children with physical and developmental disabilities, and grandparenting.

The paper is organized into four sections. The first section reviews existing literature on family caregiving in Hong Kong. The second section addresses the effects of caregiving on caregivers themselves and their family members. The third section considers the policies and services currently available to support and reward older adults in their caregiving roles. The fourth section proposes policy changes to better enhance older adults' productivity and increase the value of caregiving. Case examples are provided to illustrate caregiving experiences in Hong Kong.

Keywords:

• productive ageing
• family caregiving
• spousal caregiving
• caregiving for adult children with physical and developmental disabilities
• grandparenting
• Hong Kong

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Ms Katy Wong and Mr Billy Leung from the Hong Kong Society of the Aged, and Miss Amanda Niem for their assistance with the interviews.

Notes

^1. Care-and-attention homes provide residential care, meals, personal care and limited nursing care for older persons who suffer from poor health or physical/mild mental disabilities with deficiency in activities of daily living.