Ageing Hong Kong needs homes we can grow old in

Little needs to be said about how Hong Kong’s healthcare system faces growing pressure as our population ages. The wait for a care home space is as long as 19 months and expected to worsen. In recent years, promoting care options elsewhere in the Greater Bay Area has become an alternative to expanding Hong Kong’s care home capacity. On April 30, the government announced the launch of social and care support services under the Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong to help senior citizens adapt to life in mainland care homes. But despite government efforts to make these care options more attractive, uptake remains low. Lawmaker Maggie Chan Man-ki recently noted that of the roughly 1,000 mainland care home spots available to seniors in Hong Kong, only about 400 had been filled. Care homes cannot be the long-term solution for an ageing population. Nor are more care homes fiscally sustainable for Hong Kong. Studies show most seniors would rather stay in the community than enter institutional care. They want to retain their sense of autonomy and independence while staying socially connected. As such, Hong Kong’s ability to provide quality housing over the next few decades will be critical. If our homes and communities become safer and more hospitable, seniors can live independently for as long as possible, reducing the reliance on care homes. An effective “ageing in place” policy starts with thoughtful design. Universal design, which has become a key principle in Hong Kong’s public and subsidised housing, aims to create spaces everyone can use, regardless of age, size or ability. This approach incorporates accessibility measures like step-free entrances, tactile guide paths, widened doorways, sunken showers and power sockets positioned 1 metre above the floor. It is a significant step towards inclusivity. But before we decide to mainstream the universal design approach, we must ask: what “universal” homes are we envisioning exactly? Large bathrooms may be important for seniors’ safety and carers’ convenience, but they are not particularly desirable for families wanting a larger living room. Even among seniors, not everyone has the same requirements: a lowered sink, for instance, would inconvenience those who are tall. One key limitation of universal design is that it tries to meet as many demands as possible but does not optimise use – especially as residents age and preferences evolve. In Britain, there is a push instead for inclusive design: adaptable homes for diverse and changing uses. The Lifetime Homes Standard outlines recommendations for adaptable homes. For instance, installing a floor drain under a bathtub makes it easier to convert it into a shower later on – a modification that helps reduce the risk of elders falling in the bathroom. Many of these recommendations have been incorporated into British building regulations. Hong Kong could take a page from this. While our government relies on the Buildings Department’s design manual for barrier-free access, a discussion on home adaptability presents an opportunity to study the British Lifetime Homes Standard and consider adapting it for our context. As highlighted in Our Hong Kong Foundation’s report, “Policy path to ageing in place for Hong Kong”, property developers might find the upfront costs of implementing advanced design prohibitive. To address this, the government could develop an inclusive design checklist and pair it with certification standards like the Building Environmental Assessment Method Plus (Beam Plus) to offer gross floor area concessions or density bonuses. But even the most elaborately designed environments are only part of the solution. Ageing in place is about helping our seniors to live independently and comfortably. It is about empowering them to pursue their own activities while ensuring they are connected to reliable support in their communities. This vision remains unrealised in Hong Kong. Seniors tend to have poor health literacy – they are often unaware of when or what kind of support they need, or whom to approach – and many avoid seeking help due to fear of burdening others. Social isolation is also a prevalent issue, with many seniors unable to regularly engage in social activities and experiencing undetected physical health declines. Hong Kong’s long working hours leave most family members unable to keep a constant lookout for their seniors’ health issues. Property management staff are well positioned to fill these gaps – not by expanding into direct elderly care, but by acting as a critical first point of contact. They can help identify and support socially isolated seniors, ensure those with dementia do not get lost, and connect seniors to social workers and health services. They can also provide simple help like replacing light bulbs or connecting seniors with affordable community services like laundromats. Property management companies can arrange for the installation of health check-up machines or other gerontechnology to help seniors monitor and manage their health proactively. They can also use clubhouse facilities to organise activities to keep seniors active and engaged. Seniors have indicated openness to a fee-for-service model whereby they can subscribe to additional services. Since 2018, the government’s Support for Carers Project has been training property management staff to identify and help seniors and their carers while providing community welfare information. Engagement has been promising. The government could build on this success by adapting the training materials for vocational training courses under the Continuing Professional Development Scheme. Home is not just a physical place – it is also a feeling. If the government sees ageing in place as a cost-effective policy goal, it must go beyond securing and funding more care home placements to make homes places where seniors can feel truly cared for.

Ageing Hong Kong needs homes we can grow old in

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}If our homes become safer and more adaptable, seniors can live independently for as long as possible without needing care homes

If our homes become safer and more adaptable, seniors can live independently for as long as possible without needing care homes