Hong Kong struggles to cope with its rapidly ageing population
A lack of affordable care homes and a failure of long-term planning mean many face a bleak future
With a crumpled tissue between her trembling fingers, octogenarian Lai Siu-yin gingerly wipes the corner of her husband's mouth as he slowly eats the banana she brought.
"I'll come back later with soup," she promises.
Lai, 85, has visited her husband of 60 years, Fong Lo-kan, 90, almost every day since he was placed in a private elderly home after a crippling stroke around Christmas. Usually she hobbles into her wheelchair after lunch at home, a flask of homemade Chinese soup and a banana on her lap, and her Indonesian helper wheels her down the street in Tai Kok Tsui to the home.
"I go just to see his face. It's good to see his face," said Lai.
The elderly couple had been waiting for places at a subsidised care home together for over a year when Fong had the stroke. He had to be placed in a private home as the couple continue their long wait - which could take years.
"The best [situation] is to be in the same elderly care home, sleep in a bed next to each other. We've requested that but I know the chances are slim," she said.
Lai's husband also has dementia, and now needs a higher level of care, which makes it even less likely for them to be placed together as he would be in a different category than his wife in the government system.