Health is not just the absence of disease. In an era when living to 100 is becoming more common, our concept of ageing must evolve. While Hong Kong people enjoy the world's longest life expectancy, an important question arises: Are we truly achieving healthy ageing? In this book, Professor Jean Woo addresses a diverse array of challenges associated with the elderly population in Hong Kong society, including issues like elderly poverty, unfriendly community designs, unfair stigmatization faced by seniors, and late-life loneliness. Drawing on extensive research and clinical experience, she advocates for self-care, education, and empowerment, encouraging us to move beyond dependence on doctors and medications. Ageing is inevitable, yet we can control how we age. -------------------------------------------------------------- By 2046, 36% of Hong Kongers will be ‘older adults’. Take Charge of Your Own Ageing is a timely publication to remind our society about the significance of co-creating a city that is environmentally and socially friendly towards the physical, mental and social well-being of an ageing population with a 100-year lifespan. This book is a must-read for policymakers, businessmen, NGOs, older adults and caregivers. Collaborative and intersectoral efforts are needed to foster age-friendly policies, measures and places, empowering older adults to take charge of their own lives instead of being passive care recipients. —Professor Ng Mee Kam Director, Urban Studies Programme, CUHK Even in her seventies, Professor Jean Woo has kept the fire in her heart burning. With her unwavering commitment to health, she herself is a demonstration of living a life to the fullest against a ticking clock. Not only is she outspoken, but she also takes seriously her commitment to improving the health of Hong Kong people through community services, gerontechnology, and countless studies on well-being. This book records what Prof. Woo, as an authority of on gerontology, has observed in the hospitals and communities in Hong Kong over the past half century. She is frank enough to point out the various problems behind the façade of Hong Kong people’s longevity: How can the health indicators of the elderly be the same as those of the general population? Apart from the general differences in health problems and treatments between men and women, the elderly also suffer from deleterious effects of loneliness and social isolation after the pandemic as the outcome of health inequalities. — Chan Hiu Lui Chief Editor of Big Silver Over the past two to three decades, the WHO has endeavoured to promote universal health and develop primary healthcare, emphasising that collective efforts from various sectors of society are necessary to achieve good health for all, and maintain the quality of life in old age by improving areas ranging from urban design, public services, private market operations, education, employment, housing, food safety, to social inclusion, community participation, and poverty eradication. In other words, we need to plan for a ‘healthy city’. Both Prof. Woo and I have happened to promote interdisciplinary and trans-sectoral collaboration within communities, to encourage everyone to take their awareness of health to the next level— taking appropriate health actions with improved health literacy. I hope for a complete change in Hong Kong society, whether it is a change in our vision of life or our social culture and socio-economic operations that prompt us to think only the healthcare system is responsible for handling wellbeing issues. Just as Prof. Woo said we cannot simply ‘relying on doctors, investigations and drugs, accompanied by unrealistic expectations that bad health outcomes can be avoided if you do what the doctors tell you’. After all, why do we strive to maintain good health? Isn’t it because there is nothing more important than living well and dying well? —Dr Fan Ning Founder of Health In Action & Chairman of Forget Thee Not

With the longest life expectancy for men and the second longest for women, Hong Kong typifies our planet’s aging population. The daily lives of its older adults closely match the advantages and disadvantages experienced by urban elders in other developed countries. For these reasons, Hong Kong’s elderly serve as a salient guide to older people’s social, psychological, and healthcare needs—concerns of increasing importance as the world grows older. Aging in Hong Kong examines this emblematic population as a case study specifically in comparison with their counterparts in the West, shedding light on diverse, interrelated currents in the aging experience. Referencing numerous international studies, the book contrasts different health service arrangements and social factors and relates them to a variety of health outcomes. Its wide-ranging coverage documents health and illness trends, reviews age-friendly policy initiatives, relates health literacy to patients’ active role in their own care, and discusses elders as an underserved group in the division of limited health funding and resources. This multiple focus draws readers’ attention to policies that need revisiting or retooling as chapters analyze major life areas including: Living environment. Retirement and post-retirement employment issues. Financial asset management. Health literacy regarding aging issues. Elder-positive service delivery models. Ageism in the prioritization of healthcare. End-of-life issues. By assembling such a wealth of data on its subject, Aging in Hong Kong puts ongoing challenges into clear focus for gerontologists, sociologists, health and cross-cultural psychologists, public health policymakers, and others involved in improving the quality of elders’ lives.

Known for a tradition of Confucian filial piety, East Asian societies have some of the oldest and most rapidly aging populations on earth. Today these societies are experiencing unprecedented social challenges to the filial tradition of adult children caring for aging parents at home. Marshalling mixed methods data, this volume explores the complexities of aging and caregiving in contemporary East Asia. Questioning romantic visions of a senior’s paradise, chapters examine emerging cultural meanings of and social responses to population aging, including caregiving both for and by the elderly. Themes include traditional ideals versus contemporary realities, the role of the state, patterns of familial and non-familial care, social stratification, and intersections of caregiving and death. Drawing on ethnographic, demographic, policy, archival, and media data, the authors trace both common patterns and diverging trends across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and Korea.

The population of Asia is growing both larger and older. Demographically the most important continent on the world, Asia's population, currently estimated to be 4.2 billion, is expected to increase to about 5.9 billion by 2050. Rapid declines in fertility, together with rising life expectancy, are altering the age structure of the population so that in 2050, for the first time in history, there will be roughly as many people in Asia over the age of 65 as under the age of 15. It is against this backdrop that the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA) asked the National Research Council (NRC), through the Committee on Population, to undertake a project on advancing behavioral and social research on aging in Asia. Aging in Asia: Findings from New and Emerging Data Initiatives is a peer-reviewed collection of papers from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand that were presented at two conferences organized in conjunction with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, Indonesian Academy of Sciences, and Science Council of Japan; the first conference was hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, and the second conference was hosted by the Indian National Science Academy in New Delhi. The papers in the volume highlight the contributions from new and emerging data initiatives in the region and cover subject areas such as economic growth, labor markets, and consumption; family roles and responsibilities; and labor markets and consumption.

Stories in Ageing 2e presents an insightful collection of personal stories as told by a range of older people, carers, health professionals and family members. This unique resource offers nursing students and health professionals an extraordinary perspective on a range of topics related to ageing, including assisting and caring for the older person, the experience of ageing within a culturally diverse society, sexuality in the later years, maintaining independence at home and positive experiences of ageing. Available as a print or eBook, this valuable resource builds empathy and understanding, and provides examples of innovative approaches to care with a focus on reflection, inquiry and action. The teaching and learning strategies assist in developing skills, attitudes and mindfulness around ageing, with a strong focus on a person-centred and lived approach. A unique multilayered structure also promotes engagement with learners across diverse educational levels, ranging from certificate qualifications through to the undergraduate and postgraduate student. Most importantly, Stories in Ageing provides a much-needed consumer voice for the older person, their families and their carers. Including 10 chapters, each presenting a variety of stories from consumers, carers and healthcare professionals around a range of topics related to ageing. With 19 video stories embedded within eBook presenting personal accounts from a range of lived experiences. Reflection, inquiry and action provide the framework for the teaching and learning strategies for each story, aimed at certificate, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Weblinks, references and readings are included for further reading and research. Transcripts of all interviews are included in the back of the book. An eBook included in all print purchases

Social isolation and loneliness are serious yet underappreciated public health risks that affect a significant portion of the older adult population. Approximately one-quarter of community-dwelling Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, and a significant proportion of adults in the United States report feeling lonely. People who are 50 years of age or older are more likely to experience many of the risk factors that can cause or exacerbate social isolation or loneliness, such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and sensory impairments. Over a life course, social isolation and loneliness may be episodic or chronic, depending upon an individual's circumstances and perceptions. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that social isolation presents a major risk for premature mortality, comparable to other risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. As older adults are particularly high-volume and high-frequency users of the health care system, there is an opportunity for health care professionals to identify, prevent, and mitigate the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults summarizes the evidence base and explores how social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older, particularly among low income, underserved, and vulnerable populations. This report makes recommendations specifically for clinical settings of health care to identify those who suffer the resultant negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness and target interventions to improve their social conditions. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults considers clinical tools and methodologies, better education and training for the health care workforce, and dissemination and implementation that will be important for translating research into practice, especially as the evidence base for effective interventions continues to flourish.

The WHO World report on ageing and health is not for the book shelf it is a living breathing testament to all older people who have fought for their voice to be heard at all levels of government across disciplines and sectors. - Mr Bjarne Hastrup President International Federation on Ageing and CEO DaneAge This report outlines a framework for action to foster Healthy Ageing built around the new concept of functional ability. This will require a transformation of health systems away from disease based curative models and towards the provision of older-person-centred and integrated care. It will require the development sometimes from nothing of comprehensive systems of long term care. It will require a coordinated response from many other sectors and multiple levels of government. And it will need to draw on better ways of measuring and monitoring the health and functioning of older populations. These actions are likely to be a sound investment in society's future. A future that gives older people the freedom to live lives that previous generations might never have imagined. The World report on ageing and health responds to these challenges by recommending equally profound changes in the way health policies for ageing populations are formulated and services are provided. As the foundation for its recommendations the report looks at what the latest evidence has to say about the ageing process noting that many common perceptions and assumptions about older people are based on outdated stereotypes. The report's recommendations are anchored in the evidence comprehensive and forward-looking yet eminently practical. Throughout examples of experiences from different countries are used to illustrate how specific problems can be addressed through innovation solutions. Topics explored range from strategies to deliver comprehensive and person-centred services to older populations to policies that enable older people to live in comfort and safety to ways to correct the problems and injustices inherent in current systems for long-term care.

Greater longevity is an indicator of human progress in general. Increased life expectancy and lower fertility rates are changing the population structure worldwide in a major way: the proportion of older persons is rapidly increasing, a process known as population ageing. The process is inevitable and is already advanced in developed countries and progressing quite rapidly in developing ones. The 2007 Survey analyses the implications of population ageing for social and economic development around the world, while recognising that it offers both challenges and opportunities. Among the most pressing issues is that arising from the prospect of a smaller labour force having to support an increasingly larger older population. Paralleling increased longevity are the changes in intergenerational relationships that may affect the provision of care and income security for older persons, particularly in developing countries where family transfers play a major role. At the same time, it is also necessary for societies to fully recognise and better harness the productive and social contributions that older persons can make but are in many instances prevented from making. The Survey argues that the challenges are not insurmountable, but that societies everywhere need to put in place the policies required to confront those challenges effectively and to ensure an adequate standard of living for each of their members, while respecting and promoting the contribution and participation of all.

The guide is aimed primarily at urban planners, but older citizens can use it to monitor progress towards more age-friendly cities. At its heart is a checklist of age-friendly features. For example, an age-friendly city has sufficient public benches that are well-situated, well-maintained and safe, as well as sufficient public toilets that are clean, secure, accessible by people with disabilities and well-indicated. Other key features of an age-friendly city include: well-maintained and well-lit sidewalks; public buildings that are fully accessible to people with disabilities; city bus drivers who wait until older people are seated before starting off and priority seating on buses; enough reserved parking spots for people with disabilities; housing integrated in the community that accommodates changing needs and abilities as people grow older; friendly, personalized service and information instead of automated answering services; easy-to-read written information in plain language; public and commercial services and stores in neighbourhoods close to where people live, rather than concentrated outside the city; and a civic culture that respects and includes older persons.

Provides statistical information on the worldwide population of people 65 years old or older.