Report questions training level as Hong Kong faces rapid rise in number of old people
Only one-third of carers working with the elderly in Hong Kong has received specialised aged care training or education, according to a report released this week.
The research questions whether the SAR is adequately skilled to deal with its rapidly ageing population. 'The major economic and political force that we face this century is ageing,' said Professor Victor Minichiello, head of the School of Health at the University of New England, Australia, who prepared the report in conjunction with the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Asian Association for Life Long Learning.
The 1996 Census revealed that those aged 75 years and older represented 3.7 per cent of the population, a figure expected to reach five per cent by 2006. The increase in the elderly will require significant changes in services and infrastructure.
Of the 650 local health and welfare professionals and care workers interviewed, the majority said their undergraduate training had not prepared them for work with the elderly. More than 78 per cent expressed an interest in obtaining specialised postgraduate education in gerontology to enable them to provide better services and care for the elderly.
'Hong Kong is only just beginning to feel the pressure of this phenomenon in social and economic forms,' said Professor Minichiello. But it is not all bad news. Unlike many Western countries, Hong Kong does not experience the reluctance on the part of many carers to look after the aged, and the elderly are generally placed in high regard.
'In Chinese cultures the elderly are often held in high esteem,' Professor Minichiello said. 'This positive attitude lays a strong foundation for training a highly motivated and supportive aged care workforce.'
Professor Minichiello said proper care for the elderly involved more than a knowledge of diseases and the physical needs of the aged. It was also important to ask about their families and understand their position in the community. He said suicide and depression were major issues for the elderly in Hong Kong.
