Ageing in place in Hong Kong : a case study of public rental housing

Abstract

Ageing problem is a major issue in the world and will become very serious in Hong Kong in the coming 30 years. Around 17% of the Hong Kong population were aged 65 years or above in mid-2018 and the age group between 40 to 64 years will become the elderly in the coming 20-30 years. The number of elderly persons will be increasing more than double from 1.16 million in 2016 to 2.37 million in 2036. Also, the elderly population will stay more than 2.3 million for at least 30 years. The Hong Kong SAR Government promoted “Care for the Elderly” since 1997 which concerned the ageing population problem of Hong Kong. “Ageing in place” is a concept in which the elderly continue to live in the environment they know well. It is expected that the elderly can take care of themselves independently, including satisfying their basic needs, connecting socially, and maintaining their quality of life. Housing is the basic need for the elderly, and most of the low-income elderly live in public rental housing. To understand the elderly needs and insufficient of the community facilities in the newly public rental housing, a case study to Ying Tung Estate will be carried out. Through a face-to-face interview with the elderly, in-depth interview with stakeholders and site visit to public rental housing units, this study has completely understood the elderly views and the insufficient of the community facilities. After the findings, seven recommendations have been made to government including the warfare, housing and planning, medical, etc.