Treating the elderly with love and respect to enhance intergenerational harmony

Chinese people enjoy having family members of several generations living under the same roof. However, as nuclear families are becoming the norm, senior family members and their offspring are spending less and less time together.

Tomorrow will be the Open Day of Government House. With the assistance of the Social Welfare Department, we arranged a sneak preview today for members of some elderly centres and their families to promote the message of treating the elderly with love and respect to enhance intergenerational harmony. I also took the opportunity to chat with these "elder brothers and sisters".

Some of the elderly participants told me that they seldom get together with their younger family members, so they were very happy to visit Government House with them today. Among these "old friends", the oldest is already over 90.

In Hong Kong, there are currently 1 million people aged 65 or above, representing 14 per cent of our population. It is projected that one in three people will be aged 65 or above by 2041. Intergenerational harmony is thus increasingly important.

I hope that all of us will love the elderly and show them more care so that they can enjoy their golden years.

November 23, 2013