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. 与世界上很多国家与城市的情况一样，香港特别行政区人口的年龄结构也越来越趋于老龄化。1983 年，65 岁或以上的老年人口只占总人口的7%，预计33 年后的2016 年，此比例会翻倍增加到14.4%。 但是，社会普遍对老年人抱持负面印象，尤其是在香港这样的社会。除了教育程度与文化水平低这些因素，大多数老年人都缺少退休保障金，这更加使得人们认为老年人没有生产力、依赖性强。本文将探讨香港老年人对于家庭照顾的 "产出性" 贡献。此家庭照顾主要分为三方面：照料配偶，看护有身体或发展性残障的成年子女，以及隔代照看。 本文分为四个部分。第一部分回顾香港家庭照顾方面的文献。第二部分探讨 "照顾"对于照顾者本人及家庭成员的影响。第三部分研究目前对于 "家庭照顾者" 的老人们有哪些支持与回馈性的政策与服务。第四部分就如何更好地提升老年人 "生产力" 与家庭照顾的价值提出政策建议。本文也分享了一些香港家庭照顾的案例研究。