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Lonely, poor and neglected: why many elderly Hong Kong people are tired of life
I refer to the survey on the mental wellness of senior citizens, conducted by the Jockey Club Joy Age project (“Elderly Hongkongers are way more likely to kill themselves than others. Why?”, March 10).
I was not at all surprised to see the rising level of suicides among the elderly in Hong Kong.
Those who have reached 60 years and beyond are considered old and worthless by society at large. In the crowded streets, they are pushed away and, in the shopping centres, there is no place for them to sit and take a breather.
There are hardly any parks where they can go for a walk, and so they stay confined to their small rooms in a residential high-rise.
Do you wonder, then, why they feel neglected and tired of life? Sadly, that’s the fate of the impoverished who live in Hong Kong.
John Isaacs, Pymble, Australia
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