Caring for an ageing community
Hong Kong is changing and changing fast. Not only is the birth rate dropping, but we’re all living longer, so much so that by 2031 more than a third of the population will be 60 and over, and if the trends remain the same, by 2051 that will have risen to a massive 40% of the population.
That presents significant challenges for everyone; us as individuals, us as family members and carers, Government, the private sector, and of course the healthcare and residential home industries. An increasing number of the population are asking, “who is going to look after us when we reach that phase in life, and where are we going to live?”
The Hong Kong Government adopted a policy of ‘ageing in place’ back in 1997, an initiative that aims to create minimal disruption of life for the elderly, encouraging individuals to grow older in their own home, remaining relevant and present within a locale that’s familiar to them. That however is a challenge for a city like Hong Kong where space is at a premium and the design of homes rarely takes impaired mobility into account. So, to learn more about how best to adapt and develop for this increasingly important sector of the population, Chinachem partnered with the CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing, to commission a Residential Design Guide for Healthy Ageing in Hong Kong. Open source, this publication will provide developers and architects a blueprint for the future, guiding them on the needs and welfare of this growing market.
The challenges posed by this demographic swing has been on the mind of Donald Choi, Executive Director and CEO of Chinachem Group for many years now.
“Currently for the middle old, those in their 70s and 80s, a lot live in residential care homes. However, the mode of these homes right now is that they’re actually a closed community” explains Donald. “And it doesn't matter if you are young old, middle old, or old old, you want to belong to a community, a friendly caring community.”
The creation of elderly friendly communities is a top priority for Chinachem these days. Following their acquisition of the city’s most respected residential care home operator, Pine Care, the group has now established a healthcare division headed by Managing Director, Candy Hui.
“Chinachem aims to provide a full spectrum of one-stop facilities to seniors, where they can find all the required services and accommodation needed for their retirement living” explains Candy. “We’ve been a property developer for over half a century and have a strong project management and design team, so we can confidently build age friendly developments to fit the needs of senior living in Hong Kong. Then from a software perspective, we have a large property services division and our extensive Nina Hospitality team, and these together with our acquisition of Pine Care gives us the expertise needed in caring and elderly services. So, we’re able to form a cross disciplinary specialist team providing age friendly services to seniors in Hong Kong.”
This approach of putting community first and ensuring that quality of life is always the highest priority, is what sets Chinachem apart, and delivers on their promise of ‘creating places with heart’.
Hong Kong is changing and changing fast. Not only is the birth rate dropping, but we’re all living longer, so much so that by 2031 more than a third of the population will be 60 and over, and if the trends remain the same, by 2051 that will have risen to a massive 40% of the population.
That presents significant challenges for everyone; us as individuals, us as family members and carers, Government, the private sector, and of course the healthcare and residential home industries. An increasing number of the population are asking, “who is going to look after us when we reach that phase in life, and where are we going to live?”
The Hong Kong Government adopted a policy of ‘ageing in place’ back in 1997, an initiative that aims to create minimal disruption of life for the elderly, encouraging individuals to grow older in their own home, remaining relevant and present within a locale that’s familiar to them. That however is a challenge for a city like Hong Kong where space is at a premium and the design of homes rarely takes impaired mobility into account. So, to learn more about how best to adapt and develop for this increasingly important sector of the population, Chinachem partnered with the CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing, to commission a Residential Design Guide for Healthy Ageing in Hong Kong. Open source, this publication will provide developers and architects a blueprint for the future, guiding them on the needs and welfare of this growing market.
The challenges posed by this demographic swing has been on the mind of Donald Choi, Executive Director and CEO of Chinachem Group for many years now.
“Currently for the middle old, those in their 70s and 80s, a lot live in residential care homes. However, the mode of these homes right now is that they’re actually a closed community” explains Donald. “And it doesn't matter if you are young old, middle old, or old old, you want to belong to a community, a friendly caring community.”
The creation of elderly friendly communities is a top priority for Chinachem these days. Following their acquisition of the city’s most respected residential care home operator, Pine Care, the group has now established a healthcare division headed by Managing Director, Candy Hui.
“Chinachem aims to provide a full spectrum of one-stop facilities to seniors, where they can find all the required services and accommodation needed for their retirement living” explains Candy. “We’ve been a property developer for over half a century and have a strong project management and design team, so we can confidently build age friendly developments to fit the needs of senior living in Hong Kong. Then from a software perspective, we have a large property services division and our extensive Nina Hospitality team, and these together with our acquisition of Pine Care gives us the expertise needed in caring and elderly services. So, we’re able to form a cross disciplinary specialist team providing age friendly services to seniors in Hong Kong.”
This approach of putting community first and ensuring that quality of life is always the highest priority, is what sets Chinachem apart, and delivers on their promise of ‘creating places with heart’.