“70% of Elderly Suffer Depression Due to Migration Wave, Early Communication With Elders Advised Before Emigration” -Professor Teresa Tsien, Chairman of Senior Citizen Home Safety Association
In the wake of a massive migration wave, many senior citizens are left behind in Hong Kong. In an interview with the SCOM Talk Show of The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Chairman of Senior Citizen Home Safety Association, Professor Teresa Tsien, expressed that during the peak of the migration wave, which coincided with the pandemic, various surveys have revealed that 70% of elderly people left in Hong Kong are showing symptoms of depression. The association has been inundated with calls for help from seniors: “Some elderly people are really disappointed, heartbroken, and angry. Why would their family members leave them?” She suggests that younger family members planning to emigrate should communicate more with their elderly relatives, ensuring a slow and understandable transition to mitigate feelings of abandonment.
