Hong Kong’s ageing population, with over 20% of residents aged 65 and older by 2024, has intensified the demand for robust caregiver support policies and services to sustain “ageing in place”. This policy review examines the evolution of informal caregiver policies and practices for frail older adults in Hong Kong, analyzing historical, current, and future dimensions through Bronfenbrenner’s (1983) ecological systems theory. Pre-2020 services were fragmented across microsystem (family strain), mesosystem (service gaps), and macrosystem (residual funding) levels, rooted in filial piety norms with limited accessibility. Post-2020 reforms, informed by the 2022 Consultancy Study, have solidified support through regularized caregiver allowances, expanded respite services and community care vouchers, with social workers fostering stakeholder collaboration and bridging ecological levels. The review reveals Hong Kong’s first systematic ecological analysis of policy evolution, identifying cross-level causal pathways (e.g., pre-2020 macrosystem funding failures due to mesosystem deficits) and international LTC financing gaps (Japan, Germany, Singapore). Future directions propose integrated strategies: assistive technologies, caregiver-friendly workplaces, longitudinal research databases, workforce upskilling, and medical-health-social data platforms. By highlighting social work’s pivotal role in bridging micro-, meso-, and macro-level systems, this review offers insights for policymakers and practitioners a roadmap for a sustainable, equitable caregiving aligned with Hong Kong’s ageing society.
Approximately six million Americans aged 65 and older experience various stages of dementia. Supporting family caregivers of these individuals has become a crucial mission for social workers specializing in aging. Despite the growing need, few studies document the implementation of multidimensional assessments to identify caregivers’ unique needs and challenges. This paper, guided by a case-based approach, offers comprehensive guidelines, standardized assessment tools, and a real-life case study for biopsychosocial assessments with dementia family caregivers. Social workers in gerontology require specialized training in these comprehensive assessments and intervention strategies. The National Association of Social Work emphasizes the importance of these skills in social work education, highlighting the need for students to acquire them for effective interventions. Multidimensional assessments are essential due to the increasingly demanding caregiving needs as dementia progresses. Both persons with dementia and their caregivers require ongoing emotional, educational, and service support. This review introduces tools to evaluate the biopsychosocial status of a spousal caregiver and her partner with dementia, including intervention recommendations for the caregiver. The importance and limitations of standardized measurements are discussed, emphasizing their value for novice social workers in guiding interviews, tracking progress, and assessing changing needs to develop timely interventions.
中國的快速社會轉型給社會工作者帶來了重大挑戰，面臨新興社會問題和複雜的服務需求。儘管社會工作者在提供社會服務中受到認可，但專業發展差异、行政影響和職業倦怠問題限制了其隊伍擴展。本研究探討中國內地社會工作者的個人願景、專業認同與職業倦怠之間的關係，强調理解此關係對制定有效幹預措施和創造支持性職業環境的重要性。研究通過雪球抽樣法在中國內地多個地區收集了499份問卷，所有問卷均在獲得受訪者同意下進行。使用三種量表評估參與者的專業願景、專業認同和倦怠水平。結果顯示，專業認同度越高，職業倦怠水平越低，且個人願景對專業認同有直接影響。研究為社會工作教育和督導提供建議，以支持社會工作者的專業發展。
隨著精準醫學與基因科技的快速發展，遺傳諮詢已成為當代健康照護體系必然的一環，本文運用「藍海策略」的核心概念，說明社會工作專業在此新興場域中所面臨的挑戰與發展契機；相較於歐美國家，亞洲地區遺傳諮詢專業的制度化與專業分工仍處於發展階段，社會工作在其中的定位尤具高度脈絡性與文化特殊性。本文以Laurino等人(2018)提出之亞太地區十國遺傳諮詢專業現況報告為基礎，聚焦香港與台灣兩地，從「社會工作教育」與「遺傳諮詢與社會工作實務」兩個面向進行討論，社會工作者在遺傳諮詢多專業團隊中，具備有效連結醫療體系與家庭脈絡、整合心理社會資源及回應文化與倫理議題的關鍵功能。未來，透過強化相關教育訓練與明確建構專業角色，社會工作可在基因醫療與精準健康照護中發揮其重要且獨特的專業價值。
This quantitative study examines the relationship between the frequency of texture-modified food intake, ease of use, perceived usefulness, and caregiver strain in Hong Kong. A total of 102 caregivers participated in the study. Results showed that perceived usefulness significantly predicted texture-modified food consumption, while ease of use did not. Higher intake frequency was associated with increased caregiver stress, especially among older caregivers managing complex health conditions of their care recipients. Findings highlight the need for holistic support systems to alleviate caregiver burden and improve elderly nutrition, emphasizing the need to render additional support and resources to address the challenges faced by caregivers.
This article is based on a public lecture given in 2025. It focuses primarily on the future of ageing in Europe and extracts relevant insights for similar considerations in East Asia. The fundamental challenge facing all societies, East and West, is not ageing itself but how to ensure that they age well and sustainably. The paper begins with a demographic overview. Then it criticises the common ‘burden’ scenario with regard to ageing. Then it examines the dynamic nature of ageing and how societies can age sustainably. Finally, a new approach is proposed, one that focuses less on old age and more on the whole process of ageing across the life course.
Ethnic minority (EM) youths in Hong Kong face difficulties in their transition to employment. A large number of studies reveal that the transition of EM youths to employment is closely related to three domains: (1) the familial-cultural environment, (2) the education landscape, and (3) the employability aspects of EM youths and workplace climate. However, few studies have examined the relationship between identity construction and transition to employment. This study solicits the views and opinions of multiple stakeholders on the transition of EM youths to employment in Hong Kong through individual interviews with: (1) 53 EM students, (2) 3 EM parents, (3) 8 social workers, and (4) 10 employers. The interview verbatim is then examined under the three domains of family, education and employment, respectively. An identity construction paradigm is proposed as a conceptual framework to explain the relationship between the identity construction process and transition to employment and can be used in future research to examine other transitions of similar EM youth.
This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of individuals and families adapting to living with chronic heart failure, using the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response Model as the guiding theoretical framework. The study analyzed 17 interviews with either individuals or families from a medical center in a metropolitan city in Taiwan. The findings showed that chronic heart failure struck the family with ripple effects to multiple areas of family life — the well-being of individual family members, family functioning and interactions, and the relationships between the family and its social networks and community. The findings demonstrated that many stresses these families face are independent of the cultural contexts, although cultural beliefs impact the adaptation process.
This paper proposes a framework that links government responses to the marketization of family life (i.e., increasing reliance on the market to meet family needs) and its views on the adult worker model’s ideal approaches and its responsibilities for tackling economic and care-focused defamilization risks. This paper applies this framework to analyze China’s double-reduction policy, which aims to reduce student workloads and regulate off-campus training activities. The adult worker model emphasizes that all individuals should participate in the work economy. To achieve this, young people need adequate education opportunities for the job market, and families need subsidized care services to give caregivers time to develop their careers. Economic defamilization risk arises when people fail to achieve economic independence from the family, while care-focused defamilization risk arises when people take on the caregiver roles involuntarily. The analysis done by this paper shows that the double-reduction policy can limit profit-driven off-campus training, reducing the marketization of family life. However despite these, since public examination still determines higher education resources and career prospects, promoting market values like competition, students who fail the examination will face economic defamilization risks. And parents are still vulnerable to economic and care-focused defamilization risks because they have less time to develop their careers while helping their children prepare for the examination.
This paper is a practice sharing from a data scientist collaborating with social science colleagues in interdisciplinary research of applying data science to social science. By sharing his experience, how he sees what they are trying to do, successful and not-so-successful projects, and certain cultural differences, the author shows the perspective and understanding of a typical data science researcher of such collaboration. The purpose of the paper is to promote more such meaningful collaboration.
The subjective approach of measuring poverty is done by asking respondents their minimum income needs and deriving a consensual subjective poverty line (CSPL) based on the collected answers. This paper studies the merit of this approach by using survey data of public opinion collected in Hong Kong in 2023. To derive the CSPL, the classic method relies on a log function relating the subjectively perceived income need to actual income to derive the subjective poverty line. We found the CSPL thus derived grossly overstates the poverty rate compared to conventional approaches (e.g., based on relative income). Two alternative consensual-building methods based on weighted averaging and machine learning are considered; while they show some differences, they do not address the basic problem. While the CSPL may not accurately reflect the degree of poverty, the data can be used to identify factors influencing public perceptions of income needs. We demonstrate how this can be done through a preliminary analysis.
This is a qualitative study of people who are same-sex-attracted (SSA) in Hong Kong. Thirty self-identifying LGB persons were interviewed in person or by phone. The majority have attachment injury/loss due to the absence of their fathers or adverse experiences induced by the fathers. Sexual identity development suggests fluidity as many participants dated bisexually, some had never engaged in SSA sexual behavior, and a small number had never dated in person. Different from previous studies, some were mixed-orientation married, and over half were embraced by the church community and attained a renewed understanding of their faith. Those who went through counseling found working with their concerns over self-concept, work, school, family, health, etc. helpful. The acceptance, bonding, and long-term support from family members, heterosexual spouses, pastors, and support group members are important to reduce their stress, and to provide the space and time they need to find a suitable life path. This study has provided a bigger picture in understanding the different journeys of people with SSA which are complicated, involving suffering and discrimination, and opportunities for growth and choices. Voices of those who wish to manage their unwanted SSA feelings or behavior for various reasons were heard. As the sample size of 23 males and 7 females was small, and recruitment of non-religious persons was not favorable, findings cannot be generalized. Further research is needed to understand more about those who opted to stay with SSA.
This experimental study explores the utilization of Generative-AI, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), to support Carer Telephone Support Services in Hong Kong. The demand for these services, which operate 24/7, requires substantial manpower for tasks such as answering calls, making outbound calls, and preparing call summaries. This study, conducted in collaboration with the Hong Kong Federation of Women’s Center Carer Support Services Hotline, involved recording 71 calls with the consent of caregivers. These recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed by both an LLM known as Copilot and an experienced social worker. The findings reveal that Copilot can effectively identify challenges faced by caregivers. However, it struggles to contextualize information within the dialog content, often over-generalizing, over-simplifying, or creating new content, likely influenced by the design of the prompts used. These initial results highlight the potential of LLM in reducing the manpower demands of such services, though they also underscore the need for future research focused on enhancing the comprehension abilities of LLM and improving prompt design to ensure more accurate and contextually appropriate responses.
This qualitative study addresses the understudied realm of individuals’ subjective experiences growing up in poverty and achieving favorable outcomes in adulthood. While prior research examines the negative impacts of childhood poverty, little attention has been given to subjective perspectives and the factors contributing to their achievements. Through in-depth interviews with four individuals who experienced childhood poverty in Hong Kong, this research explores their perceptions of the impact of poverty and its contributing factors. Participants acknowledged that poverty had limited their aspirations and imagination but said that they had developed resilient coping strategies by seizing opportunities and receiving support from various sources. These findings deepen our understanding of the unique needs faced by the deprived children and adolescents of Hong Kong, offering crucial insights for designing effective measures to support children in poverty.
Aphasia is an acquired language disorder caused by damage in a specific area of the brain that controls language use and understanding. This retroactive report aimed to summarize the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lived experience of people with aphasia (PWA) and caregivers. Their perceptions of the quality and effectiveness of these services were compared with service providers (speech therapists). About half of the PWA received speech-and-language therapy during phase 1 of COVID-19 (first half of 2020), but this issue of missing therapy sessions improved in phase 2 (the third and fourth waves of infection between July 2020 and October 2021). The pandemic reduced PWA’s social interactions and increased negative emotions in PWA and caregivers. Most speech therapists only commenced telepractice after the first COVID-19 outbreak, but in-person sessions resumed in phase 2. While most service receivers were in favor of teletherapy, therapists identified limitations and recommended suggestions for future implementation.
This paper provides an exploration of the ways in which partnerships between universities and social work agencies can deliver a research-based approach for students during their placement. The placement/practicum/field education has been recognized as the “signature” pedagogy of social work. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has forced practitioners and educators to explore different and creative ways of delivering learning outcomes during placements. This paper provides illustrative ways in which the research elements of placements can be enhanced.
Food is one of the physiological needs that have an immediate impact on healthy aging. However, the persistent poverty problem in Hong Kong has increasingly made it difficult for low-income older persons to meet their basic needs. This paper examines to what extent poor older persons suffer from food insecurity and how their food insecurity is related to the different types of resources they have. Based on the data collected through a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews, the study found that about 20% of low-income older persons experienced food insecurity, and male, older seniors, and those in a larger household with lower socio-economic status were particularly vulnerable. Among the resources that older people can utilize, public assistance and social services were found to be more conducive to food security than social capital. The implementation of a food voucher scheme and the facilitation of food distribution and social eating are suggested.
The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of quality of life (QOL) of women with breast cancer in Taiwan. A cross-sectional study assessed the quality of life of 394 women with breast cancer. Path models were used to test the direct and indirect effects of depression, anxiety, sleep quality and demographic factors on the four QOL domains. Mean age of the participants was 53.53 ± 7.82 years. The results of the path analysis showed that depression was the key predictor with direct effects on all four QOL domains from -0.248 to -0.580. Sleep quality was found to have direct effects from -0.171 to -0.278 on three QOL domains. Anxiety predicted the physical QOL directly (-0.249). Anxiety also indirectly predicted the physical and psychological QOLs through sleep quality (-0.088 and -0.054), respectively. As for the demographic factors, age had a negative direct effect (-0.125) on the physical QOL domain and economic status directly predicted the environmental QOL domain (0.225). Education had slight indirect effects of 0.108 and 0.090, respectively, on the physical and psychological QOL domains. The empirically validated causal model suggested that a multidimensional approach may be needed to improve the QOL of women with breast cancer.
By discussing the logic of Abraham Flexner’s reasoning of the question of whether social work is a profession, this paper provides a critical analysis of Flexner’s argumentation and his criteria of a profession in particular. Methodologically, Stephen E. Toulmin’s theory of argumentation was applied. The study showed that Flexner might not have given enough space to the diverse nature of professions but built his argumentation on the basis of a universal definition of the criteria of a profession. For this part, his one-dimensional theorems can be found to be doubtful. In spite of this, Flexner’s argumentation provides relevant reasoning from which the endeavors to develop social work as an intellectual system, profession, and discipline benefit significantly. This paper presents an argumentation analysis as a philosophical qualitative method applicable to qualitative social work research.
