Press Releases

There is a common misconception that ageing is inevitably associated with physical and mental decline, resulting in a person losing his or her independence and productivity.

But the reality tells a very different story as people age in different ways and at different paces.

"While the rate of metabolism will slow down as one ages, it does not necessarily follow that the health of everyone would decline at the same rate and to an extent that he or she would be inhibited from leading a normal life at a chronological age predetermined by society," said the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Dr E K Yeoh, today (September 6).

"In fact, a vast majority of older persons are healthy and can continue to participate actively in society in many ways," he stressed.

Dr Yeoh was speaking at the opening of the Conference on "Reconceptualization of Ageing : Policy Tool for Creating a Society for All Ages" which was jointly organized by the Elderly Commission and the Centre on Ageing of the University of Hong Kong.

The conference aims to discuss on the concept of ageing, with particular emphasis on how to remove age barriers in our society; to learn from other countries how they have combated ageism and to create a society for all ages; and to find ways to promote positive ageing identities.

Dr Yeoh told the conference that ageing of the population was one of the most significant global demographic changes. In Hong Kong, the percentage of older people aged 65 and above has increased from 8.7 per cent of the population in 1991 to 10.7 per cent at the end of last decade and is expected to rise to 11.3 per cent by the end of this decade. The ageing trend will accelerate after 2011 as the post-war baby boomers start to turn 65.

He said, "Ageing is a continuous process and as we grow older, we become vulnerable to ageism. We need to instill a better understanding of the ageing process, in order to help change society's attitude and the social institutions that sustain the negative stereotyping of older people.

"The great challenge to us, as current and future policy makers, planners, service providers or members of various workforce, is to find ways to enlist the experience and energy of older persons for both the benefit of society and themselves. We should not only strive to remove age barriers in policies, services or programs, but also to encourage and recognize contributions by older people in these areas.

"To quote a few examples, community awareness programs can promote a balanced view of ageing and highlight the contributions of older people; awareness programs among employers and targeted training can help increase the participation rate of older people in employment; and support for lifelong learning enabling involvement of older people in the tertiary and community education sectors can enhance quality of life."

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He believed the conference would serve to highlight the urgent necessity for all to attend to the issue of ageism. "I am confident that when the conference is over, all of us will have gained a deeper understanding of the concept of ageing and a better insight into how we can play our part in removing ageism and creating a society for all ages," he said.

Three overseas experts attended today's conference to share their experiences on how their countries combat ageism. They were Dr Simon Biggs from the Keele University, the United Kingdom; Professor Ng Sik-hung from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; and Professor Erdman Palmore from the Duke University, the United States. Professor Nelson Chow of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, and Professor Iris Chi, Director of the Centre on Ageing, from the University of Hong Kong also took part in the conference.

End/Wednesday, September 6, 2000

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