Anxiety, isolation among Hong Kong’s elderly amid Covid-19 pandemic – and how you can help

Senior Citizen Home Safety Association is one of 19 beneficiaries of this year’s Operation Santa Claus, a fundraising drive by the South China Morning Post and RTHK

Funds obtained will help provide a range of home care services for the elderly – including medical care, house cleaning support, and daily help with personal hygiene

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Maura Wong, CEO of Senior Citizen Home Safety Association, in Ho Man Tin. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Published: 10:00am, 16 Nov 2020Updated: 3:18pm, 16 Nov 2020

Mental health issues among the elderly have drastically increased because of isolation and anxiety amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a non-profit organisation best known for its 24-hour Care-on-Call Service.

The Senior Citizen Home Safety Association (SCHSA) reported a 52 per cent year-on-year increase in cases where elderly people needed emotional support, and a 36 per cent rise in cases deemed a “suicide risk”.

“We saw many people with signs of emotional distress and anxiety. In some, there was even a relapse in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder,” Maura Wong Hung-hung, the association’s CEO, said.

According to her, it all started in February, when Hongkongers started scrambling for masks amid a shortage of the protective gear.

“Many of the city’s elderly couldn’t obtain masks and became extremely anxious. Some even thought they were going to die, they were that scared,” she said.

After that, came the isolation caused by social-distancing measures, which harshly impacted those living alone.