Life expectancy in Hong Kong has been rising. According to statistics published by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in July 2016, the average life expectancies for men and women in Hong Kong in 2015 are respectively 81.24 and 87.32 years, surpassing Japan as the world’s nation of longevity. The latest issue of Hong Kong Population Projections 2015–2064 echoes this by projecting life expectancies at birth for Hong Kong men and women in 2064 at 87 and 92.5 years respectively, up from 81.2 and 86.9 in 2014.
As the proportion of seniors continues to grow in our population, more retirees still have parents around, to cherish and to care for, given the strong familial ties in Chinese culture. Where possible, most people prefer to let their parents stay home in their tender old age. Care for old parents is therefore one important facet of life for retirees, and the kind of care required can vary tremendously depending on the physical or mental condition of one’s parents. Visit our
Tips for Carers page for some practical information about care for old parents. This page also gives tips about how caregivers can care for themselves.
Ageing parents will leave us one day. It is important for us as carers to prepare ourselves for this day, and to find out the
Wishes of ageing parents, so as to walk them through their last journey with their personal choices in mind.
