A study on the livability of elderly housing in Hong Kong

Abstract

In Hong Kong, the population of the elderly are even growing with longer expectation of life. In the past decade, Chinese elderly have their traditional preference to live with their children and children take up the responsibility to care of the elderly during the late adulthood. The Government’s elderly policy also encourages elderly are the best living with their children by launching housing policy to promote this concept. But challenges come from the ever-changing preference of the elderly in living arrangements. More of them are prefer to live alone or with their couples in order to avoid conflicts with the younger generations or being the financial burden of their children. In the situation that the increasing number of elderly to choose to live as singletons or with couples, the housing needs are increasing as well.

This study is then conducted to understand the livability of elderly housing in Hong Kong, in order to investigate how the living environment affecting the physically and psychological conditions of the elderly and review of the existing housing policy in Hong Kong. In the past, there are many study had reviewed the policy of the public rental housing provided by the Government. We could only find few studies on reviewing the housing conditions of the private housing for the elders. It was because they are being considered having stable financial conditions as owning private properties. However, we could easily find out the elders who have suffered from great pressure on living although they have having own properties in Hong Kong. It might greatly relate to decreasing earning power in late adulthood, without a viable retirement protection and demanding responsibility of being owners in maintaining the housing conditions. With the conditions of deteriorating physiological and psychological on the elderly, they have great difficulties to cope with the situation. We would like to find out how the livability of housing conditions and living environment of the elderly in private housing in Hong Kong, after going through all over the chapter in this research study, a conclusion would be made in which recommendations on further housing policy could be summarized on providing better support to the elderly and secure that they could enjoy the living during the late adulthood.