‘I was very sad and felt lost’: how a support service helps bereaved people in Hong Kong cope with their loss

Social workers from the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals help people in Hong Kong deal with the formalities when a loved one dies, and keep an eye on them afterwards

With relatives who might have helped a grieving family member trapped overseas by the pandemic, Tung Wah’s bereavement support service is needed more than ever

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Christine Yick of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals’ Be-with Bereavement Support Service briefs volunteers on how to hlep the bereaved deal with formalities when a loved one dies. Photo: courtesy of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals

Regina Chen

Published: 1:14pm, 26 Jul 2021Updated: 1:25pm, 26 Jul 2021

Chen Tse is lucky to have survived a heart attack after he passed out alone at home.

Had it not been for the social workers who check in on him regularly “I would have died,” the 73-year-old former cosmetics salesman says. They were able to send him to hospital just in time.

Chen is one of nearly 300 people each year who receive free help from the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals’ Be-with Bereavement Support Service, launched in 2012.

When his wife of 40 years, Chang Chin-chien, died in 2018, Chen did not know how to begin dealing with her affairs and arranging her funeral; the couple had no children.

Chen on holiday with his wife of 40 years. They were childless and when she died he struggled to cope. Photo: courtesy of Chen Tse

Social workers from the Tung Wah programme helped him register her death, collect a medical certificate from the hospital and book the cremation service. They continue to provide emotional support.