Experts sound alarm as growing number of Hong Kong elderly become socially isolated
Study finds proportion of people aged 65 and above experiencing social isolation hit 53 per cent in 2023-24, up from 41.2 per cent in 2017-18
Granny Yeung* has found it hard to settle into her new community after moving into a transitional housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tseung Kwan O in January.
The 70-year-old, who has been living alone for the past decade, only managed to become acquainted with one of her neighbours over the last 10 months.
“There are all sorts of people here … I don’t want to randomly make friends with the others,” she said.
Yeung is among a rising number of elderly people in Hong Kong considered to be socially isolated, a phenomenon that has been linked to a spate of tragedies and suicides.
While a university study has flagged the growing trend and the topic is one of concern around the world, authorities in Hong Kong have yet to seriously address the issue.
In Yeung’s case, she left Hong Kong Island after calling it home for about 60 years to move to the southeastern New Territories due to the relatively cheaper rents and cleaner environment compared with her old subdivided flat.
But she found the cost of groceries and nearby restaurants to be more expensive than in her old neighbourhood, making it difficult for her to adapt.
