Despite having one of the highest life expectancy in the world, Hong Kong was ranked poorly in areas of well-being in ageing such as social connections, psychological well-being, income security and poverty rate.

Negative perceptions towards ageing predominate our society, where unfavorable associations such as “dependency” or “burden” are reinforced through stereotypes and magnified by the media, appearing to result in an increasing friction between generations. Often neglected is that ageing individuals are also agents with autonomy capable of being decision-makers.

To address the problems around ageing, we can begin by examining and changing common perceptions and narratives on ageing, and furthermore by enhancing inter-generational solidarity, engaging new actor types and testing new approaches to foster holistic well-being among the ageing population.