Elderly Suicide
  • About (current)
  • Current Situation
  • Reasons behind
  • Oversea solutons
  • Our suggestions
  • Team members
  • Contact

  • Behind the Elderly Suicide Rate

    Retiring in Hong Kong is stressful. Money is tight. Buddies are gone. Body is sore. Life is painful.

    The government has set series of security schemes to save them from hunger and illness. Still they are suffering. A significant amount of them opt to escape from reality.

    The project is here to talk about the hardship of what the senior residents in Hong Kong are facing that eventually made them commit suicide and find out possible solutions.

  • Current situation

    1) Suicide rate by age group



    Hong Kong is not a happy city. She is placed at 75th at the ranking of Happy Index in 2016, accounting to the lowest point since 2012. Among all the residents in Hong Kong, the elderly are more prone to depression. While the rate of depression is three in every 100 adults, it is one in every 10 for the senior citizens, according to the Department of Health in 2017. The suicidal rate of the elderly is echoing the depression rate. It is constantly the highest among all the age groups. Averagely speaking, it constitutes to 30% every year. .


    2) Family situtation

    Number of household of solitary elderly surged by 54.3% from 98 829 to 152 536 from 2006 to 2016 and kept in the rise. There was also an increase in the proportion of two-person elderly-only households, from 40.2% to 41.0% over the period.


    3) Major concerns

    So why the elderly are not happy? They are also often seen to be worried and stressed. To get to know them, we observe the factors that they worry in their retirement. While longevity is out of the concern, the AgeWatch report, a multi-dimensional index assessing the social and economic wellbeing of elderly population, singles out other big concerns that the elderly keep at the back of their heads. The graph below shows their concerns.

  • Reasons behind


    Causes of death

    Click to view the causes relatinoship graph in a new tab

    The AgeWatch index showcases that the elderly’s main concerns as retiree, which is poverty, social welfare and psychological well-being. To dig deeper into these perspectives, some reciprocal data is seen and is reasoning their uneasiness.


    Inefficient Government Policy

    There have been a handful of allowances catering for the local elderly with different background and financial situation. Old Age Allowance (fruit money) gives every person 70 or above $1290 per month. Old Age Living Allowance (OALA) supports the elderly aged 65 or above monthly of $2565 without a certain amount of asset and monthly income. For the low-income, they can depend on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance. For the old, single and ill, they could obtain up to $5850. However, they cannot receive all three subsidy together with different criteria that set alongside with the above-mentioned schemes. There comes the last security net, Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF), to secure the old from poverty. However, the amount that they receive is far from adequate.

    Medical Expenses

    Click to view the chart in a new tab

    The relationship between the diagnosis of disease and the increase in age is always positive. Thinking that the elderly is ready to bear the huge medical burden? The burden of the treatment may be sky high. Taking account that the four killers of the elderly are cancers, pneumonia, disease of heart and cerebrovascular disease, the medical treatment fares are believed to be as little as $400000 and as much as millions of dollars. Apart from the fatal diseases, they are often bound by the chronic diseases which spend them another thousands of dollars. However, with the constant surge in the number of retirees, the government keep the medical expenses under 3% of the annual GDP. Despite the provision of the Health Care Voucher, the elderly still have to counteract with the immense medical expenses.

    Insufficent mental health care

    Click to view the map in a new tab

    As mentioned that the elderly in Hong Kong are more susceptible of becoming depressed and anxious, the mental health support to the elderly is lacking.

    According to the Social Welfare Department, there are merely 5 Clinical Psychology Units in Hong Kong scattering in three main districts, as presented in the map beneath.

    With the lack of monitoring the mental wellbeing, the elderly may not notice that they have fallen into the turmoil of depression. Even when they do, they are not aware of the five psychology units that may be situated distant from where they live.

    Imagine when the elderly is at the edge of being burst out because of dire depression, they can hardly seek professional help from nearby area. The case may be worse for the solely living elders.

    Inpersistent voluntary work

    Click to view the infographic in a new tab

    Hong Kong people are warm-hearted, as told by the registered number accounting for about 1.28 million disclosed by Volunteer Movement under Social Welfare Department. In 2015, it was recorded that more than 24.2 million of volunteer service hours were delivered to those in need in our society. The quality is put under doubts. The Chinese YMCA published a report in 2016 criticizing that the volunteers lack the time and enthusiasm. According to the survey asking 2807 respondents, they claimed that their enthusiasm for volunteering did not last long. These findings reflect a general feeling of ambivalence among young people towards volunteering as well as a trend towards one-off volunteering or short-term volunteer engagements. As there is an increasing amount of solitary elderly in Hong Kong, home visit becomes crucial in terms of elderly service. If the involved volunteers could not sustain on serving the old loners, they are deprived the fair chance of interactions.

  • Oversea Solutions

    Robot caretaker in UK

    83 year old Bill has been living on his own for 7 years since his wife died. Like Bill many elderly in the UK are facing chronic loneliness. Robots is playing a role to help care for the elderly.


    Dementia Village in Netherlands

    Hogeweyk is a nursing home disguised to look like the outside world. It helps people with mild to severe dementia suffer a little bit less in their remaining years and preserves people's sense of autonomy.


    Home appliances transformation in Japan

    A team in Japan combine the home appliances with latest technology and enable eldelry to stay connect with their far away family memebers.

  • Our suggestions

    Eat and Meet

    As Hong Kong’s wet markets in old residential estates are shutting down caused by Link Reit development, more and more elderly have difficulties in buying daily grocery. We can create a platform to connect volunteers to help the immobile elderly buy the grocery and in return elderly can cook them meals.

    Finding Elderly

    Elderly with Alzheimer's Disease are easy to get lost and that create lots of pressure on their elderly care takers. Hong Kong people tend to seek help via posting on Facebook. However, Facebook are reducing natural organic reach rate. By developing an Finding elderly app, we can make sure everybody can see the posts.

    包租婆 Lendy

    Arrange the young people to live with the elderly via social media app. If every conditions reach the requirements after screening, they can start living together.

    Shall we talk?

    Inspired by the example from Japan, we suggest that we can help install conference call devices for the elderly to stay connected with their overseas family and friends.

  • Team members

    Team Leader - Pang Yu Tung Jessie

    I am Jessie. A final year student majoring in China Studies (Geography) and minioring in Journalism. I am a slash.

    Team Member - Chan Sin Yu Nicole

    I am Nicole. A year three student majoring in Business Administration. I am a cheerful person. I love my teammates.

    Team Member - Lo Chun Hoi Frankie

    I am Frankie. A year three student majoring in Business Administration. I am a tech guy.

    Team Member - Lai Pui Tai Celia

    I am Celia, a final year student majoring in International Journalism. Having the experience in publishing a magazine and interning in TV news broadcasting, I realise the importance of data in this information florishing era. I am then a beginner of coding.

    Team Member - Erin

    I am Erin. A year three student majoring in International Journalism. I am caring.

    Team Member - Tiffany

    I am Tiffany . A master student majoring in International Journalism. I am a sweet girl.

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