SAU PO CENTRE ON AGEING
| Researcher : Chui EWT |
| Project Title: | Creating age-friendly communities in low-income neighborhoods: cross-cultural comparisons in North America and East Asia – Shanghai as case study |
| Investigator(s): | Chui EWT |
| Department: | Soc Work & Social Administration |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Small Project Funding |
| Start Date: | 01/2009 |
| Completion Date: | 01/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| 1.to develop and validate an assessment tool, based upon / with reference to the United Nations Checklist of Essential Features of Age-friendly Cities, American Association of Retired Persons’ Livable Neighborhood Evaluation Checklist, Minnesota Vital Aging and Livability, and Australian Government’s Livable Neighborhoods Community Design Code), that can be used as a tool for comparative study across different cultures / nations; 2.to assess the age-friendliness of Shanghai as a city for elderly people, with reference to the assessment tool developed in objective 1 above. 3.to make recommendations to relevant authorities – municipal and/or national, on improvement the urban spatial form, housing design, social services, and any other related aspects that contribute towards developing an age-friendly community in Shanghai, that may probably serve as a prototype for other Chinese cities. Background of research: This proposed project is a constituent part of a larger study funded by the Canadian SSHRC-International Opportunities Fund (861-2007-1043) (Can$60,000) Creating age-friendly communities in low-income neighborhoods: cross-cultural comparisons in North America and East Asia (PI: Dr E. Hwang), in which the applicant is a co-investigator. The Canadian grant supports data collection in Hong Kong as one of the various chosen cities for comparison. The present application would further enrich the comparative study by adding a Chinese city - i.e. Shanghai. The Canadian project endeavors to investigate the ‘age-friendliness’ of cities in various parts of the world (i.e. including four countries: USA, Canada, Korea and China/Hong Kong) for senior citizens, with specific focus on low-income communities. It will attempt to developing an assessment tool with due reference to several established tools, including the a) United Nations Checklist of Essential Features of Age-friendly Cities, b) American Association of Retired Persons’ Livable Neighborhood Evaluation Checklist, c) Minnesota Vital Aging and Livability, and d) Australian Government’s Livable Neighborhoods Community Design Code. The tool thus developed can serve to assess the degree of age-friendliness of different cities, including Hong Kong (as part of the Canadian project) and Shanghai in the present proposal, will be assessed whether they could provide viable environment for elderly people. Policy proposals will then be formulated to the various cities in different countries under investigation in the attempt to improve the living environment for senior citizens. The need to investigate the extent of ‘age-friendliness’ of cities is set in the context that many of the advanced economies and societies have been faced with the challenge of an increasingly ageing population. In order to secure the quality of life of the elderly people, there should be concerted efforts in various policy domains that can provide a safe and user-friendly environment for the senior citizens. Such environment should include both the physical and socio-cultural aspects. The physical aspects relate to the built environment, which include such aspects as town planning, architectural design, transportation and accessibility, facilities, etc.; while the socio-cultural aspects relate to the provision of social and cultural services / facilities and the development of a caring community that respects and supports elderly people live independently and with dignity. Hong Kong is also faced with an increasingly ageing population and its physical and social environments are also to be examined whether they can provide a safe and viable environment for our senior citizens to lead independent and dignified living in Hong Kong. On the other hand, China, with its spectacular economic growth in the past two decades, have also evolved some large cities that are also increasingly confronted with an ageing population and is therefore also subject to the challenges of whether it can provide a viable physical and social environment for its growing elderly population. The Principal Investigator Dr Ernest Chui had previously conducted a comparative study between Hong Kong and Shanghai on the impact of urban renewal upon elderly people (CRCG Research Grant Award 1998-99 ($70,000) A Comparative Study of Old Urban Communities in Hong Kong and Shanghai: Implications on Urban Renewal and Social Service Provision. The Co-investigator, Dr Vivian Lou, is a Shanghainese and thus has thorough knowledge of Shanghai and has established good connection with both academic and official organizations in Shanghai. All these have laid solid groundwork for the applicants to complete the study. |
| Project Title: | Developing an ‘Elderly Population Index’ in Hong Kong |
| Investigator(s): | Chui EWT, Ng YT |
| Department: | Soc Work & Social Administration |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Small Project Funding |
| Start Date: | 01/2010 |
| Abstract: |
| Introduction – background of study and ‘state of art’ Hong Kong is confronted with both the challenges and opportunities of having an ageing population. In 2006, 12.4% (853,000) of the territory’s 6.8 million people were 65 and older, while those over 60 constituted as much as 16.2% (Census and Statistics Department, HKSAR, 2007). In order to enable Hong Kong – the government and the community at large – to better prepare for these changes, it is imperative to have sufficient empirical basis to conduct better policy formulation and service development. Internationally, the development of ‘social indicators’ has served the purpose of providing relevant information for governments, NGOs and individuals alike in formulating policies and services to tackle various social problems. The academic interest and policy application of social indicators, general social surveys, and social reporting or social accounting have a history of 40 some years in the Western developed countries. These efforts are attempts to expand the focus of social monitoring beyond traditional economic indicators, looking at output in terms of individual living conditions and quality of life, and to provide systematically collected factual information on core issues of political debate and social planning. Dating back to the 1960s, the founders of the social indicator movement were greatly influenced by the development of the United Nations System of National Accounts which emphasizes the unity, integration, coverage, routine data collection, and standardized compilation and publication of economic statistics. These subsequently informed the development of social accounting and a social and demographic statistics (SSDS). By the early 1990s, most developed countries had developed information systems to monitor general living conditions along the lines of the Social Indicator Tradition (Hagerty, Vogel and Møller, 2002:1-2). To supplement aggregate ‘objective’ quantitative data, efforts have also been made to collect ‘subjective indicators’, to inform social policy makers in their policy formulation and implementation (Veenhoven, 2002). With specific reference to developing social indicators for elderly people, reference could also be made to USA, Canada and Australia. The US government publishes a comprehensive report, Older Americans - Key Indicators of Well-Being, every two years since 2000, which provides an updated compendium of indicators grouped in 5 domains about the well-being of older Americans. Canada developed the Seniors in Canada Report Card since 2001 to provide information on the situation of seniors in Canada. This system, with 7 domains and 83 indicators, serves to rate seniors’ well-being by measuring their health status, access to quality health care, financial situation, living conditions and participation in Canadian society. The Australian Government publishes the Older Australia at a Glance periodically to describe the characteristics and circumstances of Australia’s older Australians using key statistics in relation to 45 topics or areas of interest. In 2006, the Western Australia State Government developed the Western Australia’s Seniors -- Active Ageing Benchmark Indicators, that involve 7 domains and 53 indicators, to measure Western Australia’s progress towards achieving active ageing among the elderly population. In Hong Kong, local scholars have embarked on developing ‘social indicators’ since 1988 (Lau et al., 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007). However, there is scant effort in developing a specific index for a particular age group. Worse still, the project, headed by the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Institute of Asia Pacific Studies, has already stopped from 2008 onwards. Therefore, there is no possibility of developing an ‘elderly index’ by using this platform. In early 1999, the Hong Kong government recognized the need to conduct a comprehensive assessment of changing social conditions in the territory. The Hong Kong Commission on Strategic Development (2000) has been vested with the responsibility of assessing the changing social environment and economic environment. The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) publishes thematic reports on specific social groups based upon its population census, by-census or thematic household (THS) surveys. With specific reference to the elderly, the C&SD has published Thematic Reports: Older Persons (HKSAR Census and Statistics Department, 2002, 2008) based on the 2001 and 2006 census and by-census respectively, which provide detailed socio-economic information about elderly people (65 and older). In addition, there are THS reports on older persons (HKSAR Census and Statistics Department, 2004, 2006). However, such efforts are limited because these reports are published either with a 5-year interval or occasionally, and the data only covers basic socio-economic aspects, without attending to other critical social dimensions. The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) has commenced its Social Development Index (SDI) exercise since 2000. Up to 2008, the HKCSS has published 5 biannual reports. The vast majority of the data used in the SDI exercise were obtained from the governmental bodies and NGO. Time-series data were collected for approximately 400 social, political and economic indicators (Estes, 1999). Although the HKCSS SDI contains a specific aspect for the elderly, there are only 7 indicators. The CADENZA Project (2009) conducted a study entitled How Well are Seniors in HK Doing? An International Comparison resorted to 7 domains. Though these two attempts are admirable efforts that are going in the right direction, the indicators involved are not comprehensive enough to reveal the general situation of Hong Kong’s elderly population. There is the need to develop a more holistic, encompassing system of indicators and indices, and to provide more information for policy makers, researchers, academics and the general citizenry, in view of preparing Hong Kong to face the challenges of an ageing population. Appendix 1 provides an overview of the various domains and indicators currently used in Canada, USA, Australia and Hong Kong. The present proposed study is to attempt developing an elementary framework of ‘Elderly Index’, making reference to overseas ‘social indicator’ movement as well as local existing and available secondary data archives, with a view for developing a more holistic Elderly Index in a longer term, to inform social policy making and service development. The study would resort to developing a list of indicators along a number of major domains (e.g. health, finance, housing, participation, etc.), which contain domain-specific sub-indices. A composite index can then be compiled from these indicators after standardization. Based on this composite index, efforts could then be made to calculate the index score in previous decades, based on the availability of relevant data. The whole exercise could provide trend data for policy analysts to review the past achievements or gaps in the policy and service provision related to elderly welfare in Hong Kong, as well as to provide benchmarks for future policy making and service planning. Objectives: 1.To assess the present ‘state of art’ or international trend in developing social indicators or index for elderly; 2.To develop a framework for constructing an ‘elderly population index’ in Hong Kong that takes into consideration particularities of the local context; 3.To lay the groundwork of a large research program on developing a comprehensive index with the support of a GRF (or equivalent) grant. |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Chui E.W.T., Can grandparent-child contact reduce ageism, Conference on Strengthening Hong Kong’s Families: Obligations and Care Across the Generations. 9 June 2010, Hong Kong. organized by Central Policy Unit, Hong Kong SAR Government, Department of Applied Social Studies, City University of Hong Kong, Centre for Family Studies of Institute of Asia Pacific Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sau Po Centre on Ageing, University of Hong Kong.. 2010. |
| Chui E.W.T. and Ko L.S.F., Elderly Poverty and Old Age Pension Reforms in Hong Kong: Issues and Prospects, In: Mok, Ka-Ho and Yeun-Wen Ku, Social Cohesion in Greater China: Challenges for Social Policy and Governance. Singapore, World Scientific., 2010. |
| Chui E.W.T., Long term care in Hong Kong. , 2010 Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development LTC in Asia Symposium. 12 June 2010. Hong Kong. . 2010. |
| Chui E.W.T., Shared Responsibility in Caring for the Deprived Elderly in Hong Kong. , Social Development Issue. 2010, 32(1): 76-88. |
| Gui S.X., Chui E.W.T., Lou V.W. and Tian Q., Constructing Elderly-friendly Community ：An Empirical Research From Shanghai., Demography.. 2009. |
| Hwang E.J., Chui E.W.T. and So S., Age-friendly neighborhoods in Korea and Hong Kong. , The International Federation on Ageing (IFA) Annual Conference, Akita, Oct 2009 Japan.. 2009. |
| Hwang E.J., Guttman G., Sixsmith A., Cress E., Chui E.W.T. and Ziebarth A., Walkability at Government-Subsidized Housing in North America and East Asia., The Gerontological Society of America's 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting, Atlanta, GA, November 18-22, 2009. . 2009. |
| Lou V.W., Chui E.W.T., Hwang E.J., Gui S.X. and Tian Q., Age-friendly city: A perspective from older people in Shanghai., International forum on Ageing-in-Place and Aged Friendly Cities. October 10-11, Akita, Japan.. 2009. |
| Lou V.W., Hwang E.J. and Chui E.W.T., Age-friendly design: Case studies in Canada and China., The Urban Affairs Association (UAA) Annual Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.. 2010. |
| Researcher : Lou VW |
| Project Title: | Protecting social Isolation and Loneliness: Attributions and Coping Strategies among Older Adults Living Alone in Hong Kong |
| Investigator(s): | Lou VW |
| Department: | Soc Work & Social Administration |
| Source(s) of Funding: | Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research |
| Start Date: | 09/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| Purpose of the proposed project This study aims to examine attributions and coping strategies used by older adults living alone in Hong Kong in protecting from social isolation and loneliness. Key issues identified and problems being addressed Social isolation and loneliness in older people have been recognized to have negative impacts on their well-being and quality of life internationally and locally. In the World Health Organization’s active aging framework (2002), social isolation is identified as one of the psychological risk factors that determine whether an older adult can achieve active aging or not. Social isolation is also argued to be associated with various risks for ill-health, for example, poor eating habits, more prone to barriers of their physical environment, lack of housing safety, increased risks for disability and early death, and is linked to a decline in mental well-being. As compared to international literature, the prevalence of loneliness among Chinese older people is estimated to increase in the context of social and economic changes (Yang & Victor, 2008). In addition, feelings of loneliness in Chinese elders would be more harmful. Studies supported a relational hypothesis in regard to the relationship between loneliness and psychological well-being, which proposed that the relationship between loneliness and life satisfaction was stronger among a culture that has strong expectations of social cohesion like Chinese culture (Goodwin, et al., 2001). In Hong Kong, the impacts of social isolation and loneliness on older adults can be inferred from literature on living arrangement and family structure change, childless elders, living alone, and loneliness study. 1. According to the 2006 by-census, about 11.6% of the older persons live alone as compared to 5.4% of the whole population. About 98,924 older persons live alone (Census and Statistics Department, 2008). 2. According to a study comparing the elderly living alone and living with others in the community, elders living alone were found to be “younger and more likely to be single, divorced or widowed. Living alone older adults rated their health as being poorer. Living alone older people appeared to have a smaller network of relatives, have less frequent contact with their relatives and received less emotional and instrumental support. Further, living alone older people had a higher level of financial strain, report more depressive symptoms, and have a lower level of satisfaction with life” (Chou & Chi, 2000). In sum, elderly people living alone are more likely to suffer from limited social support, financial difficulties, and have poor mental health. 3. Loneliness was found to be a significant contributing factor correlating with depressive symptoms among community dwelling older adults older than 75 years (Chou & Chi, 2005). Loneliness was also found to have predictive power for depression in an 8-month follow up longitudinal study among community dwelling older adults (Chou, 2006). Theoretical approaches in understanding social isolation and loneliness Even though terms like loneliness, social isolation and living alone are often used interchangeably, Weiss (1973) published a milestone book “Loneliness: The experience of emotional and social isolation,” which distinguished loneliness studies from other related study areas. A decade later, Peplau and Perlman (1982) contributed a book “Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy,” which further consolidated conceptualization, theoretical approaches, and interventions about loneliness. In the past thirty years, loneliness as an area of study has attracted a bulk of studies as well as developing intervention strategies. |
| Project Title: | Family Caregivers for the Frail and Very Elderly: Well-being and Needs in Hong Kong and Shanghai |
| Investigator(s): | Lou VW, Kwan CW |
| Department: | Soc Work & Social Administration |
| Source(s) of Funding: | General Research Fund (GRF) |
| Start Date: | 10/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| 1) To examine and develop a model that containing factors that contribute to well-being of the caregivers by adopting ecological perspective in Shanghai; 2) Validate the developed ecological model in Hong Kong context; 3) To identify service needs of family caregivers who may be at particular risk of psychological distress and/or ill-health; 4) To draw policy implications for caregiving policies in Hong Kong and Shanghai. |
| Project Title: | 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America The Family Caregiving Burden: The Role of Gender and Care Receiver/Care Provider Relations The Role of Psychosocial Factors in Long-Term Care Utilization among Elderly Chinese |
| Investigator(s): | Lou VW |
| Department: | Soc Work & Social Administration |
| Source(s) of Funding: | URC/CRCG - Conference Grants for Teaching Staff |
| Start Date: | 11/2009 |
| Completion Date: | 11/2009 |
| Abstract: |
| N/A |
| List of Research Outputs |
| Gui S.X., Chui E.W.T., Lou V.W. and Tian Q., Constructing Elderly-friendly Community ：An Empirical Research From Shanghai., Demography.. 2009. |
| Lou V.W., Chui E.W.T., Hwang E.J., Gui S.X. and Tian Q., Age-friendly city: A perspective from older people in Shanghai., International forum on Ageing-in-Place and Aged Friendly Cities. October 10-11, Akita, Japan.. 2009. |
| Lou V.W., Hwang E.J. and Chui E.W.T., Age-friendly design: Case studies in Canada and China., The Urban Affairs Association (UAA) Annual Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.. 2010. |